Jalen Ramsey got candid on the Pivot Podcast. The new Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback and blockbuster trade acquisition just wrapped up his first training camp with his new team, and he's not holding back. In addition to vocally claiming the responsibilities that come with being a number one cornerback, Ramsey praised his new head coach.
Ramsey made it clear that he didn't have an issue with the Miami Dolphins, but his comments will leave a sour taste in the mouth of former head coach Mike McDaniel. The star cornerback was adamant that he wants to play for a competitor and that Tomlin has his respect.
"I do appreciate the Dolphins and them working with me and [agent David Mulugheta]," Ramsey said on the Pivot Podcast. "Let's go to a team that's going to be able to compete, let's go to a team where there's a lot of respect for the head coach."
If there's one thing we know about Mike Tomlin, it's that his players respect him... and Ramsey is ready to go to war for his new head coach.
Mike Tomlin's players-first mentality already won the loyalty of new Pittsburgh Steelers CB Jalen Ramsey
Coach Tomlin isn't without his flaws. The long-time Pittsburgh Steelers head coach is responsible for hiring his coaching staff, but his coaching tree is nonexistent. Because of this, the Steelers haven't had so much as a respectable offense in years, and they are on an eight-year drought without a single playoff win.
But despite the struggles in the back half of his coaching career, Tomlin still earns the respect of even his most high-profile players.
Ramsey has had a reputation as being a bit of a diva over the years. There's a reason the three-time First-Team All-Pro cornerback and fifth overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft has bounced around from the Jacksonville Jaguars to the LA Rams to the Miami Dolphins and now to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Whenever a superstar is traded three times, football fans have the right to ask questions. It's clear that Ramsey wanted to move on from the Dolphins, but now he's on a team he believes could compete for a championship, and he can't say enough good things about his new head coach.
Ramsey has no intention of having a short window in Pittsburgh either. The star cornerback admitted that he wants to make this his home. He even compared himself to the legendary Charles Woodson—a cornerback who moved to safety late in his career when he didn't have the speed and quickness to stick with top wide receivers anymore.
Positional flexibility is something Ramsey has already experimented with at training camp—lining up at free safety at times when the Steelers are in their 3-4 base defense. For what it's worth, Woodson played until he was 39 years old, and Ramsey has no intention of hanging up his cleats anytime soon.
Jalen Ramsey has been a bit of a lose cannon over the years, but he's already building a remarkable relationship with head coach Mlooseike Tomlin. Pittsburgh Steelers fans already knew that Tomlin was a coach that players love to play for, and Ramsey's comments are just the latest example.