Are the reports of Jalen Ramsey and the “headaches” he caused in Miami concerning for the Steelers?
The Steelers sought out Jalen Ramsey, and flipped an All-Pro safety for him, but will he be a headache here? According to a Dolphins reporter, Ramsey displayed some problematic behavior there, which may be a pattern over his career. Showing up late to practices, for example, is one example cited, and the Steelers have experience with that behavior.
Notably, the report suggests that the Dolphins received forewarning about Jalen Ramsey before trading for him. While I don’t think Miami traded him to the Steelers because they grew weary of his behavior, it does bear noting. This is certainly not the sort of thing they worried about with Minkah Fitzpatrick—quite the opposite. Unless there is still more to that story that we don’t know yet, but I wouldn’t bet on that.
One thing we do know is that the Steelers have a head coach in Mike Tomlin who is willing to take on challenges. He is also a head coach who perhaps overestimates his ability to handle challenges of personality. But Jalen Ramsey obviously has a great deal of respect for him, and that doesn’t hurt. But I’m sure he respected Sean McVay, too—and will he respect Teryl Austin or Gerald Alexander?
Mike Tomlin earned his reputation in the NFL by providing a list of things for All-Pro S John Lynch to work on when he was a novice position coach breaking into the league. This is the coaching equivalent of going up to the biggest kid on the playground and punching him in the nose. He has always commanded respect at a different level, but he isn’t the only one coaching Ramsey.
Of course, this report comes from someone covering the Dolphins, and his sources are surely within the organization. They have a story they want to tell, and that story is one that makes them look good. They just traded a potential Hall of Fame player in Jalen Ramsey who didn’t want to be there anymore.
He does seem to want to be here, and a FaceTime with Troy Polamalu surely didn’t hurt. The Steelers also seem to want to use Ramsey in a more diverse role, something he has long sought. We don’t know what his disputes with coaches might have been—perhaps he was right, after all. Or perhaps, in two years’ time, we’ll be talking about Ramsey as another personality that didn’t work out.
The Steelers are rebuilding, or reloading, whatever they feel the need to call it, after another disappointment last season. Though they limped into the playoffs, they once again embarrassed themselves therein.
Just like last year, the biggest question hanging over the Steelers isthe quarterback question. While they ultimately traded George Pickens, they have other decisions to make. The2025 NFL Draft class is now behind us, so most of the roster construction is complete.
But we still have a long offseason ahead for Steelers football, or football in shorts. At least we can finally put the Aaron Rodgers situation to bed and move on to other things. Now it’s about evaluating the roster in place and filling holes as we go.
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