Examining the Steelers personnel options in the wake of the Ramsey/Smith trade

The Steelers parted with a cornerstone of their franchise last week when they dealt safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Miami Dolphins. In return, however, they acquired a pair of versatile players in defensive back Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith. Ramsey and Smith will allow the Steelers to be flexible with their personnel on both sides of the ball, and will make them much tougher to match up against.

Here are some of the possible personnel deployments we should see from the Steelers:

OFFENSE

11 personnel: X- Metcalf; Y- Woods/Wilson; Z- Austin III; TE- Freiermuth/Smith  RB- Warren/Johnson/Gainwell

When the Steelers go 11-personnel, with one running back, one tight end and three wide receivers, they will rotate their trio of backs (Jaylen Warren, Kaleb Johnson and Kenneth Gainwell) and can alternate their use of Smith and Pat Freiermuth at tight end. DK Metcalf should man the X position, which is the on-ball receiver who usually aligns to the weak side of the formation, while Calvin Austin III is currently slotted to play the Z (outside receiver to the strong side). The Steelers are expected to use both Robert Woods and Roman Wilson in the slot.

This grouping is arguably better than the one Pittsburgh used last season. Austin is better developed, Metcalf is a more complete receiver than George Pickens, and the slot duo of Woods and Wilson gives the team better blocking. However, while 11-personnel is the favorite grouping of almost every team in the NFL because of the way it spreads the field and stretches a defense, I’m not sure it gets Pittsburgh’s best skill players on the field together. Will having Austin and either Woods or Wilson be better than using Freiermuth and Smith together? In certain situations, yes. But I suspect the Steelers will go heavier this year than they did last season because they now have the tight ends to do it.

12-personnel: X-Metcalf; Z- Austin/Woods/Wilson; TE1- Freiermuth; TE2- Smith; RB – Warren/Johnson/Gainwell

I’ve written previously about Arthur Smith’s affinity for multiple tight end groupings. He was in 12-personnel last year on just over 25% of Pittsburgh’s snaps, which was one of the highest percentages in the league. However, the Steelers averaged around 3.0 yards per play from 12-personnel, which was one of the lowest figures in the league. Smith loves the grouping, but the Steelers stunk when using it. Something had to give.

Enter Jonnu Smith. His presence is expected to change that reality. With the lumbering Darnell Washington as the Steelers TE2 last year, defenses loaded the box against the run because they weren’t concerned with Washington as a vertical threat. Smith’s athleticism should force safeties to back off, which will even the numbers in the box when the Steelers run from this grouping. If defenses do load up to stop the run, both Smith and Freiermuth have the ability to get vertical. That, coupled with the attention Metcalf will draw, should make defending this package much more difficult than it was a year ago.

13-personnel: X-Metcalf; TE1- Freiermuth; TE2- Smith; TE3- Washington; RB – Warren/Johnson/Gainwell

This is where Arthur Smith can really get creative. Pittsburgh ran more plays from 13-personnel last year than any team in the league. But, again, their efficiency was poor. Washington is a stout in-line blocker, and Freiermuth is solid in that area as well. Smith is the wildcard. He can be motioned around the formation to gain an extra hat at the point of attack, while providing a greater receiving threat than the team had in Connor Heyward last season. Smith can also line up out wide against smaller corners, in the slot against nickel defenders, or even as a fullback when the Steelers want a lead blocker or a play-action threat out of the backfield.

Basically, Arthur Smith has the ability to force defenses to go heavy to defend the run against Pittsburgh’s 13 package, and can then move Jonnu Smith to the spot that creates the best matchup. That flexibility should make this a more effective grouping than it was a year ago.

DEFENSE

Base 3-4: CB- Porter; CB- Slay/Ramsey; $- Elliott; FS- Ramsey/Thornhill

The thought of moving Ramsey to free safety is attractive. He’s logged just 137 career snaps there, but he played safety at times in college and his high football IQ should make his transition a smooth one. Losing Fitzpatrick here hurts, as he was one of the best pure centerfielders in the NFL. But Ramsey has great instincts and can still cover ground, which could mitigate Fitzpatrick’s departure.

Pittsburgh could also play Juan Thornhill at free safety in their base defense. Thornhill is a solid tackler who may be a better option there on run downs. That would allow them to play Ramsey at corner opposite Joey Porter Jr. Darius Slay would come off the field in that scenario, but with Pittsburgh in their base on only about a quarter of their defensive snaps, it could be a nice way to preserve Slay, who is 34 years old. Either way, they have sound options.

2-4-5 Nickel: CB- Porter; CB- Slay; Slot corner: Ramsey; $- Elliott; FS- Thornhill

The Steelers are in their nickel sub-package more than any other look, and with the personnel they’ve assembled, it could be their best grouping.

Ramsey has played over 800 reps in the slot in his career and has the versatility and toughness to be a huge upgrade there over Beanie Bishop. Thornhill won’t make anyone forget Fitzpatrick, but aside from last season, when he under-performed for a miserable Browns team, he’s been an above average free safety throughout his career. Slay will be a significant upgrade over Donte Jackson on the outside. And Elliott was so good last season the Steelers signed him to a contract extension this spring. He stands to be even better with a year under his belt in Pittsburgh’s system.

Teams like Baltimore killed Pittsburgh last year by going 11-personnel, getting the Steelers into their nickel, and then dictating matchups that favored the offense. That shouldn’t be the case this season. This could be the best all-around nickel group the Steelers have had in a decade.

OUTLOOK

The addition of Smith to the offense may take targets away from Freiermuth, and will probably limit opportunities in general for Connor Heyward. But there’s no question he makes the offense more versatile, and gives the Steelers much better matchup options than they had last season.

The same is true of Ramsey. Fitzpatrick was still playing at a high level, but in the role to which the Steelers had relegated him, his value had come down a bit. Ramsey may not have Fitzpatrick’s instincts at free safety, but he will have plenty of range and play-making ability. And, when Pittsburgh wants to play him in the slot, he will be a significant upgrade over Bishop. The fact he can kick outside and spell Slay when necessary is an added bonus.

The key to this trade making sense for the Steelers is the versatility it provides. Pittsburgh lost a heck of a football player in Fitzpatrick. But in Smith and Ramsey, they’ve made themselves deeper and tougher to match up with.

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