The Steelers-Dolphins trade, Part Two: What does Jalen Ramsey bring to Pittsburgh?
The Steelers and Dolphins executed a blockbuster trade on Monday, swapping Pro Bowl defensive backs Minkah Fitzpatrick and Jalen Ramsey. The Dolphins also sent tight end Jonnu Smith to the Steelers, and the teams exchanged late round picks in 2027.
I’m looking at this trade in three separate parts, each highlighting one of the players involved. In Part One, I wrote about why the Steelers were willing to part with Fitzpatrick. You can read that article below. Today’s Part Two examines what cornerback Jalen Ramsey offers the Steelers as the newest member of its star-studded defense.
The Steelers-Dolphins trade, Part One: Why did the Steelers move on from their star safety?
Pedigree
Ramsey is a three-time first-team All-Pro selection and seven-time Pro Bowler. He started all 17 games for the Dolphins in 2024, recording two interceptions, 11 pass breakups, 60 tackles and one sack. Over nine seasons with Jacksonville, the Los Angeles Rams and Miami, Ramsey has 24 interceptions, 534 tackles, 108 pass breakups, six forced fumbles, three sacks and two fumble recoveries.
Ramsey is 30 now, and no longer an elite corner in the league. But he is still playing the game at a fairly high level. Last season, he gave up just 44 receptions on 71 targets, and opposing quarterbacks had a mediocre 83.2 quarterback rating when throwing at him. He is a major upgrade over some of the players Pittsburgh has started at corner in recent seasons, including Donte Jackson, Levi Wallace, Ahkello Witherspoon, and late-career Patrick Peterson.
The addition of Ramsey gives Pittsburgh three corners — Ramsey, Darius Slay and Joey Porter Jr. — who comprise their best trio at the position in over a decade. It’s a position group that has transformed from one of the weakest on the team at the end of last season to potentially one of its strongest.
Versatility
Ramsey took 728 snaps at outside corner in Miami last season. That’s been his primary position throughout his career. But he logged a career-high 185 snaps from the slot as well, where he played some of his best football. Miami used Ramsey to cover receivers and tight ends, and even blitzed him a career-high 25 times. Ramsey is a willing and capable tackler, so he shouldn’t be a liability in the slot against the run. If Pittsburgh wants their “big three” corners on the field together, they can easily kick Ramsey inside and play Slay and Porter on the perimeter.
The more intriguing option is to play Ramsey at free safety, where he’s taken 137 career snaps. That’s not a big number, but with Ramsey’s intelligence and experience, he’s likely to master the nuances of playing free safety pretty quickly. The Steelers are set with DeShon Elliott at strong safety, and they can play Juan Thornhill at free safety if they desire. Thornhill was impressive at Steelers’ mini-camp in June, and his presence may have influenced the decision to move Fitzpatrick. But Ramsey is the more fluid athlete of the two, and his ball skills make him a natural replacement for Fitzpatrick as the team’s deep centerfielder in single-high coverage.
Whatever Pittsburgh decides, they have options. If Ramsey plays outside or at free safety, it will mean the Steelers are confident in either Beanie Bishop or Brandin Echols as their slot defender. If Ramsey plays the slot, it will mean they like the duo of Elliott and Thornhill at safety. If Ramsey plays all over, as I suspect he will, it will mean the Steelers have a deep and diverse defensive backfield that will allow them to mix and match lineups based upon the personnel they’re defending. That’s a luxury the Steelers haven’t enjoyed in some time.
Outlook
I suspect Ramsey will be the Swiss Army knife of this defense. Not exactly in the way Troy Polamalu was in his prime — Polamalu and Ramsey are very different players — but in a way that allows defensive coordinator Teryl Austin to mix and disguise coverages, blitzes and positional assignments. With the Steelers in their nickel package, which has become their de facto base defense, and Ramsey as the queen of Austin’s chess board, we should (hopefully) see a more exotic scheme. That would be refreshing, given how vanilla the defense was down the stretch last season.
Ramsey’s experience should help clean up some of the communication and execution issues that dogged the secondary last season as well. Ramsey is said to be a vocal leader, and with several new pieces in the secondary, that unit will need to get on the same page quickly. He and Elliott played together in Miami in 2023, so their familiarity with one another will be helpful in that regard. Ramsey isn’t likely to discover the Fountain of Youth as a player, but his experience and leadership should provide value in other ways.
Bottom line — Pittsburgh has assembled the talent to field one of its best secondaries in ages. It’s now up to the coaching staff to find the right schemes and combinations to get the most out of their personnel.
For a video breakdown of what Ramsey brings to Pittsburgh, check out the player below:
What are the Steelers getting in veteran Jalen Ramsey, and how might he be used in PIT?
Versatility is the key.
My latest video breaks it down ⬇️@FFSNSteelCity pic.twitter.com/7AmWJwZHgh
— Kevin Smith (@KTSmithFFSN) July 1, 2025
In Part Three of this series, we’ll examine the addition of tight end Jonnu Smith, and how he could help coordinator Arthur Smith unlock his offense.
For more of my work, follow me on X @KTSmithFFSN, and tune in to my “Call Sheet Daily” podcast every Monday-Friday on all major platforms. You can also catch me every Monday on the “Here We Go” Steelers show with Bryan Anthony Davis.
Will be interesting to see what JR5’s contract will be going forward, while Pgh will pay only $19.6MM of his $26.6MM in net salary for ’25, this is really big money. Pgh is going big, baby.
Let’s not lose sight of the bigger picture. It’s getting clearer by the day: this team will succeed to the same extent as the offensive line matures, with bonus points for the defensive line. There are no other questions that even come close.
WR2? We cannot be confident in Austin, Wilson, and 13-personnel carrying the load, but we cannot rule them out either. It averages out. If the OL becomes a strength and Old Man Rodgers has time, It’s average with potential upside.
Running game? Good backs, especially if the rookie works out as well as expected. 99% on the OL.
Run defense? The team will be at least as good on the DL and maaaybe better. The biggest help would be more minutes consumed by the offense. I.e., the OL.
The elite Eagles OL would make this team a Super Bowl contender. Last year’s OL would create a team with better odds of winning a playoff game, but still no surety. An improved OL would fall somewhere in between. 2026 will be more about the OL than any other year I can remember.
The secondary will change because of this trade, in fun and interesting ways. But those changes are more flash than substance. If the OL makes a leap, the team will make a leap. If both the OL and DL make leaps, the team will make a big leap. If those units mature toward elite, we are serious contenders again. It isn’t on the secondary.
I believe you are very correct. Earlier in the off season, I was really hoping they would have landed Mekhi Becton. I like McCormick- but I The only thing I would say, Scott, is the success of the DL (the second most important group according to your post) is directly influenced by the secondary and vice versa.
But I do agree that the OL is the biggest piece. As big as the QB since he is also so dependent on them.
When I look at it at this time of year, I think back to the last SB winning Steelers teams/ the contenders of the “oughts.” Those teams, generally, were mostly rock solid and set with just a few question marks on the roster. This team has lots of questions. There can be exceptions to this but, generally, the more questions you have- even if you feel really positively about the potential answers- the further away from a SB the team likely is.
See my less screedy comment (LOL) about how Ramsey’s inside coverage ability and savvy, combined with the ILBs and a good SS, are all aimed to create Dreaded Russ Disease. Teams either need to pound through the improved but young DL, or hit on deep bombs in the gap created by losing Minkah.
But even that balance depends in good part on whether the OL can start to dominate time of possession.
Food for thought: the 2025/6 Steelers have one, narrow but proven path toward serious Super Bowl contention. See the model of other past-prime QBs like Manning, Brady, Elway, and the not-quites like Montana and Favre. Teams driven by good offensive lines and running games can make that work.
This year’s Steelers can do the same IF the offensive line gels, and Tomlin can pull off yet another brilliant hat trick by maintaining the team chemistry despite all the radical changes we’re seeing. That last one is what killed the infamous Eagles Dream Team. People won’t give him any credit for that, of course, but it’s really the #1 job of any head coach, and he’s as good at doing it as anyone ever.
Scott, I cut my eyelids off years ago in grad school.
Say what? OW!!!
I wanted to clearly see the bigger picture. Tough thesis advisor…
I have no doubt the Steelers will go as their OL/DL goes. They have certainly invested valuable resources in trying to upgrade those units since Andy Weidl arrived. That’s not a coincidence.
However, they have also built out the roster around those units to provide flexibility. They have options at RB and with their offensive personnel groups. They have options with how they can deploy their secondary, or rotate their LBs. They have a QB who, while in the twilight of his career, is still better than anyone they’ve played at the position since 2021.
This is a deep Steelers team, as deep as any since 2017. It will all be for naught if the lines don’t improve from last season. But if they do, this team could be built to make a run.
With perspective off my chest [laughs]… I suspect Ramsey has some hopes of being the next Rod Woodson, and morphing toward ever more in the way of veteran leadership with extended Safety snaps. His flexibility as a big slot defender who can fall off deep will be key, and the disguises for Corner blitzes are hard to even imagine!
Another subtlety? The team’s new speed at ILB will make it very dangerous to throw over the middle. Tipped balls galore even if the QB doesn’t throw INTs because of missed reads. Ramsey’s ability to flat out erase even the best TEs, and his savvy to hold back against play action, will push opponents toward the Dread Russ Disease; quick hitters, bombs, and that’s about it.
Anyone who cannot pound through the upgraded DL is going to be in a world of hurt.
If Dread Russ Disease is a common condition that befalls opposing QBs this season, it’s going to be a good year.
Always enjoy your perspective, Scott!
I have no faith in Austin doing anything exotic.
Agreed–Austin hasn’t displayed creativity in his entire Pgh tenure, dating back to 2019. He did well one season in 2014 while DC of the Lions, with Jim Caldwell.
I write this having a positive bias for Pitt grads. Austin needs to show me.
My biggest question is even with the versatility that Ramsey brings to the table will Austin utilize it? MF39 was a versatile as the come and the Steelers pushed him to deep middle. Does the addition of Slay alleviate some of that concern? If so, why make the move to Ramsey. Is it a case of now having three CB’s that can cover being that much greater than the 2024 version of the secondary?
I really want to believe that new players mean new schemes, but Tomlin is the anti-Belichick in that he likes to “do what we do” vs Belichick that really game planned for each opponent.
This. Tomlin’s philosophy is the albatross about Pittsburgh’s neck. And it really doesn’t seem to matter what piece are added.
Reasonable question(s) from JSegursky. More physicality and better tackling is a start, but it’s hard to win mano y mano consistently without employing deception to cause confusion/hesitation in the opponent. Parity is simply too high in the NFL for that.
You bring up an important topic with the “doing what we do” issue. On one hand, you can argue it’s a predictable mindset that causes PIT to get exploited versus better teams, like KC. On the other, the Eagles just won a Super Bowl with everyone in the world knowing Vic Fangio’s scheme, stifling the Chiefs in the process. But Philly put together the right personnel to operate it at an extremely high level. That’s the key. You can win big by being fairly vanilla and predictable so long as you have elite talent and precise execution.
Have the Steelers assembled a defense that can do this? Based on salary, the answer is yes. Based on their actual play? We’ll see…
Coach, KC’s OTs kind of helped the Eagles out a wee bit… and Phila. was surely better than KC on that day re personnel and execution. When personnel is a wash, a well-executed scheme is needed… we’ll see. Popcorn tastes good, and I’ll have antacids handy just in case.
Btw, AARod is working out with CAIII, Freiermuth, and Metcalf in Malibu. Or at least they’re faking it well. The OL is also listening to AARod’s recorded cadence…”Green 19,” and so on. Great to hear.
a true Pittsburgh Steelers fan, since the 70’s Jalen Ramsey bring nothing to the table because he’s wash up Cory Trice Jr. is much better, younger, bigger