Things have been both extremely good and bad at times for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense this year. It has been unable to establish consistency and has had some rough performances as the team has lost four of the last six games. Yet, one of the brightest spots on the unit has been Jalen Ramsey.
Ramsey, the Steelers’ big defensive acquisition the past offseason, has bounced around the secondary this year. He now finds himself at safety, where he’s settling in nicely. According to former Steeler James Harrison, he’s one of the only positive aspects of this defense.
“Ramsey, yes. I love it, dude. That dude want it, bro. I’ve seen [him] want it. He ain’t turning nothing down, he [is] giving you everything he can give you out there. I’m not letting up on this quarterback; he got one foot in, and I’m coming on him. No question,” Harrison said Tuesday on his Deebo & Joe podcast.
This is the play Harrison is referring to, as Ramsey shoves Caleb Williams out of bounds.
Ben Johnson on Jalen Ramsey sideline pop on Caleb Williams: “It was a completely legal hit, he was in-bounds. But at the same time, just to see the whole sideline come to life, I think it kind of has another spark there to your offense and really the whole team.” #Steelers #NFL pic.twitter.com/4tIdNmYr96
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) November 24, 2025
The best part about this play is that the hit was perfectly legal. It’s rare for defenses to get a chance to hit quarterbacks, and any hit on a scrambling quarterback near the sideline will draw attention, often a flag as well. But Ramsey times this perfectly and gets to Williams well before he’s out of bounds. Despite him picking up the first down, Ramsey wanted Williams to feel a little contact and potentially get him out of rhythm.
Bears’ head coach Ben Johnson credited Jalen Ramsey for this play, but also noted it as an energizing point for his team. From that point on, the Bears outscored the Steelers 24-14, so he’s not wrong. And really, it should have been energizing for the Steelers as well. Ramsey is playing very intensely, and you’d hope a play like this could energize a defense that struggled to stop the Bears for much of the final three quarters.
This praise from Harrison is notable, though. He was extremely upset when he spoke on Monday. He mainly criticized the coaching staff, but also berated some of the players. It was about as mad as he possibly could have gotten, so this praise for Ramsey means something.
Ramsey definitely deserves Harrison’s praise. Since moving to safety, Ramsey has played well, recording a season-high nine tackles in Sunday’s loss. His new position allows him to play closer to the line of scrimmage, letting him unleash more physicality. And that physicality is a trait we don’t see enough across the rest of the defense.
Jalen Ramsey and the rest of the unit have another tough test against Buffalo this week. Josh Allen is obviously tough to defend, but the Bills also have a great running back in James Cook. Ramsey’s physicality may be needed to set the tone for the defense once again.
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