When the Pittsburgh Steelers traded away Minkah Fitzpatrick for Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith, the first thought through many Steelers fans’ heads was ‘Where does Ramsey line up?’ The Steelers had already signed Darius Slay to pair with Joey Porter Jr. on the outside corners, so many speculated that Ramsey could slide back to free safety to fill the void.
With training camp getting started for the Steelers this week, we should have our answers soon enough about Pittsburgh’s plan for their new superstar defensive back. But fellow vet Robert Woods, who played with Ramsey in Los Angeles from 2019 to 2021, said the three-time All-Pro DB will be effective no matter where he lines up.
“He’s a guy you want on your team. He’s a leader," Woods said Wednesday morning, according to Nick Farabaugh. “He’s a great slot corner, he’s a great outside corner.”
“I haven’t seen him at safety yet, but I believe he can do it,” Woods said, according to Brian Batko.
Pittsburgh Steelers teammates toy with the idea of playing Jalen Ramsey at safety
Back at Florida State, Ramsey got his start at safety before moving to cornerback for his final two seasons. As a freshman for the Seminoles, he recorded 49 tackles, snagged an interception, forced a fumble, and recovered a fumble for a touchdown. Of course, that was 12 years ago.
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Steelers fans are certainly excited to see where Ramsey lines up. He’s been one of the top defensive backs in the NFL for nearly a decade since entering the league as the No. 5 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Still, Ramsey will no doubt be an integral part of the Steelers' expensive defense, being one of the higher-paid assets on it. It wouldn’t be too surprising if he doesn’t mix in at a few different spots, if only to force the opposition to figure out where he is in the defensive backfield.