The Pittsburgh Steelers field the most expensive defense in the NFL, and by quite a margin. Still, the defense faltered late last season as the team dropped five straight games to close the year.
Despite all of the talent Pittsburgh carried over, the defense still had to make significant improvements. Overall, the defense ranked 8th in points allowed, but just 25th in passing yards allowed.
It’s a bend-but-don’t-break effort that has been serviceable for the team for years, but not quite good enough to keep the team in step with the elite offenses they face in the AFC. So, the Steelers went out and got Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay.
Already holding one of the best pass rush units in the NFL, a trio of elite corners in Pittsburgh is a terrifying sight for opposing quarterbacks, so said third-year corner Joey Porter Jr.
Pittsburgh Steelers' Joey Porter Jr. confident elite CB trio can flip the narrative
“I feel like it’s going to be a hard matchup for any offense to go up against the three elite DBs that we have,” Porter said Thursday ahead of the Steelers' first training camp practice. “It’s going to be a nightmare for them.”
Ramsey didn’t reveal where he would play in the defense, though he did insinuate that he’s paid far too much to play at certain positions. That might rule out his taking over for Minkah Fitzpatrick at safety, in which case, Juan Thornhill will be relied on as the starter.
Porter said Mike Tomlin told him that all three corners will be on the field at the same time, though he said he didn’t know how that would look just yet. The defensive backfield featuring those three corners with Thornhill and DeShon Elliott at the safety spots is quite an imposing unit on paper, but, of course, making it work on the field is half the equation.
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Realistically, Ramsey is the best option to play in the slot if jumping back to free safety isn’t an option. Still, that only accounts for nickel packages, which are the primary formation these days. As for base packages, it’s not quite as clear where Ramsey or Slay lines up.
Still, with what the Steelers now employ on the backend, expectations should rise to the point that a bottom-half finish in passing yards allowed again is no longer acceptable.