Pittsburgh Steelers fans were hardly prepared for the chaos that ensued after a blockbuster trade on June 30. After news broke that general manager Omar Khan had pulled off a trade with the Miami Dolphins for cornerback Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith, we learned that the Steelers sent Minkah Fitzpatrick packing his bags as part of the deal.
Steelers fans have plenty to digest after the surprising trade. Where will Ramsey play in a secondary that already includes Joey Porter Jr. and Darius Slay as boundary cornerbacks? What does the addition of Smith mean for Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington? And what does the safety position look like with Fitzpatrick gone?
These are all questions that warrant an answer. I've taken the liberty of updating the Pittsburgh Steelers' 2025 depth chart after the massive trade... and it's fascinating.
Pittsburgh Steelers' updated 2025 depth chart after Jalen Ramsey-Minkah Fitzpatrick trade
Position | Starter | Second-Team | Third-team | Fourth-Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
QB | Aaron Rodgers | Mason Rudolph | Skylar Thompson | Will Howard* |
RB | Jaylen Warren | Kaleb Johnson* | Kenneth Gainwell | Cordarrelle Patterson |
WR | DK Metcalf | Ben Skowronek | Lance McCutcheon | Ke'Shawn Williams |
WR | Robert Woods | Scotty Miller | Brandon Johnson | Montana Lemonious-Craig |
SWR | Calvin Austin III | Roman Wilson | Roc Taylor | |
TE | Jonnu Smith | Pat Freiermuth | Darnell Washington | Connor Heyward |
LT | Broderick Jones | Calvin Anderson | Gareth Warren | |
LG | Isaac Seumalo | Spencer Anderson | Nick Broeker | Aiden Williams |
C | Zach Frazier | Ryan McCollum | ||
RG | Mason McCormick | Max Scharping | Steven Jones | |
RT | Troy Fautanu | Dylan Cook | Doug Nester | |
DL | Cameron Heyward | Daniel Ekuale | Isaiahh Loudermilk | Esezi Otomewo |
NT | Keeanu Benton | Yahya Black* | Domenique Davis | |
DL | Derrick Harmon* | Logan Lee | Dean Lowry | Jacob Slade |
ROLB | Alex Highsmith | Nick Herbig | DeMarvin Leal | |
LOLB | T.J. Watt | Jack Sawyer* | Jeremiah Moon | Eku Leota |
ILB | Payton Wilson | Cole Holcomb | Carson Bruener* | |
ILB | Patrick Queen | Malik Harrison | Mark Robinson | Devin Harper |
LCB | Joey Porter Jr. | James Pierre | Kyler McMichael | |
RCB | Darius Slay | Cory Trice Jr. | Cameron McCutcheon | |
SCB | Jalen Ramsey | Beanie Bishop Jr. | Brandon Echols | Donte Kent* |
FS | Juan Thornhill | Quindell Johnson | ||
SS | DeShon Elliott | Miles Killebrew | Sebastian Castro | |
K | Chris Boswell | Ben Sauls | ||
P | Cameron Johnston | Corliss Waitman | ||
LS | Christian Kuntz | Tucker Addington |
Let's start with the major change on the offensive side of the ball after the trade. As part of the blockbuster deal, the Pittsburgh Steelers received Pro Bowl tight end Jonnu Smith. The veteran is coming off the best season of his NFL career with the Dolphins after earning 88 receptions for 884 yards and eight touchdowns.
Smith was one of the lone bright spots on the Dolphins' offense last year and had his best season at 29 years old in 2024 on his fourth NFL team. Though Smith is entering his fifth team in eight seasons as a 30-year-old tight end, he's still the best pass-catching option at the position.
On the Steelers' depth chart, I slotted Smith as the starter. Though Pat Freiermuth has been a respectable player, it's impossible to make the case for anything but a starting job for Jonnu after the season he just had. In 2024, Smith graded out as a top-five tight end in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. Freiermuth, on the other hand, earned the 24th-best grade at the position among his peers.
This means that Freiermuth bumps down to the TE2 role, with Darnell Washington—who served as the 'Y' tight end each of the past two seasons—receiving a demotion as the TE3. Thanks to a tight end-friendly offense under Arthur Smith, all three tight ends should be featured and get plenty of work.
Defensively, we just witnessed a major shakeup in the secondary. Minkah Fitzpatrick, a three-time First-Team All-Pro safety, is out, and Jalen Ramsey is in. At cornerback, it's probably safe to assume that Porter Jr. and Ramsey will be the starters in base defense. But the Steelers play in sub-package a majority of the time, and when they do, we should expect that Darius Slay will be the outside cornerback opposite Porter, with Ramsey kicking inside to handle slot duties.
Ramsey has ample experience as a slot defender, as he's played all over the secondary. He's also a fantastic tackler, so this role would make perfect sense. Ramsey's presence gives the Steelers a massive upgrade over second-year undrafted CB Beanie Bishop Jr.
At safety, the Steelers just took a notable step back. With Minkah gone, Juan Thornhill is currently the projected starter who will work alongside DeShon Elliott as the defense's last line of defense. Though Fitzpatrick has been quiet over the past two seasons and lacked splash plays, Pittsburgh will still see a significant downgrade after trading Minkah. Thornhill struggled in his 11 starts with the Cleveland Browns last season.
These roster shake-ups cause a ripple effect on the Pittsburgh Steelers' 2025 depth chart ahead of training camp, and Omar Khan may not be done just yet.