Tom Coughlin Believes Jaguars Can Still Win AFC South Despite Jalen Ramsey Trade

The Jacksonville Jaguars bolstered their future draft prospects by trading cornerback Jalen Ramsey to the Los Angeles Rams on Tuesday, but executive vice president of football operations Tom Coughlin believes they can still win the AFC South this year. 

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network passed along a statement from Coughlin on Wednesday:

"Given the situation with Jalen, we made this decision based on what we thought is in the best interest of the Jacksonville Jaguars, for this season and well into the future. We feel the trade that we struck with the Rams gives us great value for the next two drafts, and we remain very confident that our team today will compete this season for a division title. Jalen was a productive player, but the time came to move on and we wish him and his family the best in Los Angeles."

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Jacksonville traded Ramsey to the Rams for first-round picks in 2020 and 2021, as well as a fourth-round pick in 2021.

Challenging for an AFC South title will be difficult without Ramsey.

The two-time Pro Bowler is one of the best cornerbacks in the league and is capable of defending the opponent's best wide receiver all over the field instead of just sticking to one side. He also possesses the speed (4.41 40-yard dash) to keep up with deep routes and the physicality to battle for jump balls and underneath routes.

He helped lead the Jaguars to the AFC Championship Game during the 2017 campaign as a first-team All-Pro.

However, Rapoport noted Coughlin was "the object of Jalen Ramsey’s frustration" during a saga that included a trade request and a confrontation with head coach Doug Marrone on the sidelines during a Week 2 loss to the Houston Texans.

He also missed time because of the flu, a back injury and the birth of his second child.

Jacksonville, which is 2-4 on the year, is also facing an uphill battle in the AFC South because of the presence of the 4-2 Texans.

Houston is coming off an impressive road win over Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs and has quarterback Deshaun Watson playing like an MVP candidate. It also possesses a head-to-head win over the Jaguars, which could come into play in tiebreaker scenarios.

Even though rookie Gardner Minshew II has played well at times for the injured Nick Foles in Jacksonville, the Jaguars have lost two straight and struggled to generate much offense in Sunday's 13-6 loss to the New Orleans Saints at TIAA Bank Field.