The Pittsburgh Steelers exchanged one potential Hall of Fame defensive back for another when they shipped Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Miami Dolphins for Jalen Ramsey. But the third player in the trade may end up making the biggest impact on the team this season. TE Jonnu Smith produced like a top-five tight end last season, and he’s now bringing his talents to an offense that desperately needs another top weapon other than DK Metcalf.
“Jonnu Smith, to me, that might be the bigger deal,” Ben Roethlisberger said Tuesday via his Footbahlin podcast on YouTube. “He’s kind of a special talent. He’s a dude that can really open up a field. He’s a wide receiver-playing-tight-end kind of guy. I’m sure Aaron [Rodgers]’s really excited about it. But to me that is as big of a deal in this trade as Ramsey.”
Roethlisberger’s take is colored by his love for the tight end position and his bias toward offense as a former quarterback, but he may have a point. The Steelers’ defense may have faltered down the stretch last season, but it was not the main issue when looking at the 2024 season as a whole. The offense’s inability to consistently string together drives and score touchdowns put stress on all three phases with no margin for error.
Calvin Austin III might be the Steelers’ nominal No. 2 WR, but they needed a more proven receiving weapon to complement DK Metcalf. When George Pickens went down with a hamstring injury for a few games late last season, the entire offense came to a screeching halt. Smith will help prevent that from happening while putting more talent on the field when the roster is at full strength.
Smith’s 2024 season would have topped the record books in both receiving yards and touchdowns in Steelers history. And he is reuniting with Arthur Smith, who loves using tight ends and has an extensive history with Jonnu Smith on two different teams.
The Steelers now have easily the most threatening 13 personnel (three tight ends) in the league with Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington and Smith. He very well may be the missing piece on this offense to make the Steelers every bit as competitive as some of the AFC’s elite, and that has a much larger impact than the potential side grade achieved by swapping Fitzpatrick for Ramsey.
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