While June and July tend to be some of the slowest times in the NFL offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers kept their busy offseason alive with a massive trade this week. In case you were living under a rock, the team acquired both Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith in exchange for Minkah Fitzpatrick.
You know, just a typical day in the dead of the NFL offseason.
The trade, by all accounts, is shocking. I struggled to see the fit with Ramsey with the Steelers, and even with him here, I can’t get behind this deal.
No, this isn’t a horrible deal, but I find it extremely confusing for Pittsburgh. Miami is easier to figure out: they couldn’t afford (or afford to extend in the case of Smith) these players, and their roster is shaping up to be bad in 2025.
They are banking on Fitzpatrick returning to form and being a part of the retooled Dolphins that could return to contention in 2026. If he fails, they still shed some cap space with older players that they weren’t going to keep.
The Pittsburgh Steelers seem like they are chasing their tale
Pittsburgh, on the other hand, seems directionless with this trade. While I would argue that Ramsey is the best player in this deal, he doesn’t fill a need and muddles the cornerback room significantly.
Does Darius Slay serve as the third cornerback? His contract says otherwise. Does Joey Porter see more time on the bench? That seems foolish given he is a young and ascending player. Oh, and let’s not forget who is going to play free safety?
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According to some early reports, it seems like the Steelers are planning on playing all three cornerbacks all of the time. That means that the defense isn’t playing in base at all, so one of those defenders, likely Ramsey, can play in the slot. Alternatively, Slay or Ramsey could play free safety in base defense.
That means you are taking a premium player that you obviously coveted and forcing them to play out of position. I don’t see what the benefit is, and it feels like a lot of moving parts for such a notable deal.
I wasn’t against moving Fitzpatrick. His play had slipped, and he plays a non-premium position. He can be replaced relatively easily in-house or with a free agent. Losing him at this point isn’t a huge deal.
As stated, I like the fit of Smith in this offense, but acquiring an older tight end who is just now coming off his best season and wants to be paid significantly more isn’t exactly the wisest move.
And let’s not kid ourselves, if the Steelers were a cornerback and tight end away from being legitimate competitors, this would be a great deal. They are neither, and I don’t see either of these moves pushing them over the edge.
Instead, the team is adding older and more expensive players for the sake of change, and I don’t anticipate it being a great trade for the team. How they use Ramsey is a major question mark, and the impact of both players isn’t clear at this point. Overall, it feels like the Steelers are just digging their pit a little deeper.