Though the Pittsburgh Steelers added a pair of big names to their secondary this offseason, there seems to be more questions than answers on the back end of their defense right now.
The addition of Darius Slay seemed to solidify things on the outside, even with him entering his age-34 season. But then, the Steelers made one hole at free safety with the trade of Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Miami Dolphins for defensive back Jalen Ramsey.
While the Steelers are excited about the addition of Ramsey, a guy who can wear a number of hats defensively, there is no clear-cut Fitzpatrick replacement.
Despite those concerns, former NFL linebacker Luke Kuechly believes the Steelers are in good shape in the secondary with guys like Ramsey, Slay and Joey Porter Jr.
“I kind of like that lineup right there. I think there’s a lot of teams in the NFL that would say, ‘Hey, this is our five- man secondary, we’re in pretty good shape,'” Kuechly said of the Steelers, according to video via Up And Adams on YouTube.
A starting point featuring the likes of Ramsey, Slay and Porter in the secondary, not to mention safety DeShon Elliott, and maybe even slot cornerback Beanie Bishop Jr. is a good jumping-off point for the Steelers. That’s even with the concern at free safety following the loss of Fitzpatrick.
Could the answer at free safety be Ramsey, who has been open to moving to safety in the past? Potentially. That’s unclear though ahead of training camp. Juan Thornhill could be a piece at free safety for the Steelers, due to his NFL experience.
That answer Thornhill might provide isn’t exactly comforting though. That’s led to some discussion about Ramsey playing free safety, something longtime Steelers reporter Mark Kaboly shot down recently.
But if that’s the move the Steelers make, Ramsey could make it work. Regardless, the Steelers will have a lot of size, length and ability in the secondary, something Kuechly is high on.
“Does [Ramsey] slide in and play the nickel position or do they kind of rotate those guys around? But I think when you have really good players like that, you can figure out where to play ’em,” Kuechly said. “But yeah, could they play ’em at safety? Absolutely.
“But I just like when you have a lot of DBs and a lot of talent and a lot of speed and length. You got a shot to be pretty good.”
The Steelers are hoping that with the added talent in the secondary, the additions will turn the defense from good to great. If the secondary can take a step with Slay and Ramsey in the fold, and Porter can show growth on the field, Pittsburgh’s defense could be the best in the game.
That could help get them over the hump in the playoffs, too.
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