A.J. Bouye was one of the NFL’s best cornerbacks last season, and after the Texans decided they couldn’t afford to keep him, he became one of the most sought-after free agents -- and that didn’t last long. The division-rival Jaguars signed Bouye to a five-year deal worth $67.5 million, and he’ll join a secondary that includes Barry Church, Tashaun Gipson and Jalen Ramsey.
On paper, that’s an imposing group, though Bouye’s former teammate, wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, isn’t particularly impressed with the Jags’ other starting cornerback.
“I told A.J. if he goes to [Jacksonville] then he better be the dude guarding me on third down instead of Jalen because he couldn’t get the job done,” Hopkins said, via Alex Del Barrio of Sports Radio 610 (by way of PFT). “I love A.J., but hopefully he’s the one guarding me on third down to win the game next year for those guys. They might have a better chance.”
This is where we point out that Ramsey, as a rookie, ranked 19th among all cornerbacks last season, as graded by Pro Football Focus. (Bouye, to his credit, ranked ninth.) And in their two face-to-face meetings, Ramsey was solid against Hopkins. In Week 10, Hopkins was targeted 10 times and caught five passes for 48 yards, seven yards after catch, with no touchdowns, though Ramsey had no passes defended. In Week 15, Hopkins was (again) targeted 10 times and (again) had five catches for 46 yards, two yards after catch, with no touchdowns -- but Ramsey had three passes defended.
In fact, Ramsey ranked No. 2 on the Jags last season in pass coverage behind only linebacker Paul Posluszny.
So yes, sometimes the smack talk doesn’t align perfectly with advanced stats. Fair enough. if Hopkins is looking for the weak link in Jacksonville’s secondary, safety Tashaun Gipson ranked next-to-last in coverage in 2016, ahead of only Davon House, who has since been released.
