The Pittsburgh Steelers added Jalen Ramsey to the squad with the hope that he would complete their cornerback room. Almost a year removed from that trade, that hasn’t been the case.
Ramsey struggled as an outside cornerback last year. His athleticism is clearly on the decline, and it made him a liability when lined up against top receivers. Partially to counter this, and partially due to need, the team moved Ramsey inside to the slot and eventually to safety.
Heading into 2026, there were a lot of questions as to what the team would do with Ramsey this year. Following their free agency splashes and pre-draft trail, it feels like his home is crystal clear.
Ramsey is going to be an overpaid slot cornerback who may kick out to safety.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have an overpaid defender in Jalen Ramsey
It started early in free agency with the splash signing of Jamel Dean. Bringing him in signaled that the team didn’t want Ramsey even sniffing around as an outside cornerback. Bringing back Asante Samuel Jr. provides the next man up at the position.
The Steelers didn’t stop there. They added Jaquan Brisker to provide another safety to the room, and it feels like he should see a healthy amount of snaps in some sort of safety rotation.
As for the draft, Pittsburgh hasn’t made their selections yet, but their interest has been heavily in outside cornerbacks as they have visited with both of the Washington freakishly tall corners. This leaves the team needing Ramsey in the slot first.
A safety also isn’t out of the question. It feels like another defensive back will be added before day three of the draft.
Unless a notable name is brought in, it feels like Ramsey is going to be a slot cornerback first. Given his price tag, it feels like he will see snaps on base defense as a safety, but beyond that, he becomes the highest-paid slot defender in the league.
He certainly doesn’t feel worth it, but he’s stuck here after the team paid out his roster bonus earlier this year. That doesn’t mean he is worth the cost, though.
Ramsey certainly hasn’t worked out as many fans had hoped. For a long time, Ramsey was one of the best cornerbacks in the league, but his decline last year was obvious. Now, he feels like a massively overpriced option for this team, who may get squeezed off the team sooner than later.