The Pittsburgh Steelers swung for the fences this offseason when they traded away Minkah Fitzpatrick for Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith. Ramsey was the centerpiece of the trade, as both teams were flipping former elite defenders coming off some mediocre stretches.
While both players are capable of rebounding and returning to their elite form, I would argue that Ramsey is the better player currently. That said, his traditional role as an outside cornerback seems to be at risk.
It looks like the Steelers want to use him in multiple roles.
That will work for this reason, and we should be excited to see how Ramsey does in this new role. His versatility could lead to some issues, though, as the team could face some significant long-term problems by having Ramsey in this new role.
What role will the Pittsburgh Steelers want Jalen Ramsey in long-term?
While Ramsey will seemingly play all three major defensive back positions this year (outside cornerback, slot cornerback, and safety), it seems like his most prominent role will be in the slot and as a base defense free safety.
That makes sense in 2025, as Darius Slay and Joey Porter can man the outside spots for the rest of the snaps. This gives the defense a strong trio to work around. Add in DeShon Elliott, and the secondary should be a strength.
However, this group won’t be together for long. Slay will almost certainly only be here for this one season, given his contract and age. That will open up a massive hole at outside cornerback next offseason.
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Does Ramsey shift back to his more natural outside cornerback spot? If he does, you are suddenly empty at slot cornerback and free safety.
It is pretty rare for a cornerback to switch to a safety role and then back to cornerback. If I had to guess, Ramsey is locked into this new role for his duration in the Black and Gold. It seems unlikely that he will switch back to a full-time outside cornerback.
This means that in 2026, there will be a massive hole to fill in the secondary. The focus of next offseason is on finding a quarterback, so landing a top-flight cornerback or safety may not be in the cards.
This also assumes that Ramsey stays around for a while. His contract is cuttable after this year, although it is more structured to accommodate him being here for at least two seasons.
Ramsey hasn’t been a steady presence anywhere he has played, though. His time in the NFL has been highlighted by short stints and regular trades. It is entirely feasible that he is gone within a year or two, further damaging the secondary.
Ramsey needs to answer two things this year. The first, and most important, is what role does he envision himself in moving forward. He also needs to figure out if he actually wants to be in Pittsburgh for the long haul.
Until answered, Ramsey remains a massive question mark for this defense past 2025.