The Pittsburgh Steelers had been eyeing pieces on the Miami Dolphins’ roster for a while. There had been rumors of interest in tight end Jonnu Smith and whispers of interest in defensive back Jalen Ramsey. Now both players are in Pittsburgh, and I’m not sure the Steelers are better for it.
As Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport reported, the full terms of the deal include late pick swaps and sending Minkah Fitzpatrick back to Miami after six seasons as a leader and fan favorite in the defensive backfield.
There’s something to be said about how aggressive the Steelers have been this offseason, but it reeks of desperation and short-sightedness in the name of going all in on one season. You’ve heard it before, these ain’t your daddy’s Steelers, but this move takes that a step too far.
Pittsburgh Steelers take a giant risk by trading Minkah Fitzpatrick to Miami Dolphins for Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith
For the second time this offseason, the Steelers have effectively (this time more directly) traded one star player for another, older player with a larger marquee to their name. First, it was George Pickens ousted for D.K. Metcalf, now Ramsey comes in for Fitzpatrick. And if you want to get really negative, Darnell Washington just got demoted for Smith in the tight end room.
The Steelers needed new faces, but not at the expense of what was here. The Steelers needed more of a veteran presence, but not by eliminating their own leadership.
But that’s just the emotional and philosophical aspect of this trade that has many Steeler fans staring in disbelief at the No. 39 jerseys in their closets right now. Schematically, the Steelers are suggesting that Ramsey, at nearly 31 years old, will step in at free safety, learn the position, and become more productive than Fitzpatrick while offering the same level of leadership.
On the other side, Jonnu Smith is likely playing some sort of slot tight end role, which hurts either Calvin Austin or Roman Wilson and definitely hurts Pat Freiermuth and the previously mentioned Washington.
If the Steelers don’t have one more move in them this offseason, they will remain without a proven No. 2 receiver, too. It's Austin, or another big-name reach for this front office at this point.
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If there’s one silver lining to take away, because of course there has to be, it’s that the Steelers have determined that their old approach was not going to work in 2025. They needed to be aggressive this offseason, and this is about as aggressive as the Steelers have ever been in June.
But that aggression is also clearly a name-chasing approach. The Steelers lacked star power at the end of the 2024 season, and now all eyes are on Pittsburgh with the stars in play.
If Omar Khan and Mike Tomlin thought these moves would alleviate pressure, they don’t. They amplify it. With aggressive moves like these, the Steelers have to take a step in the right direction and win (a lot).