How should the Steelers use Jalen Ramsey in the secondary this season?
After some outside speculation about the Steelers potentially parting with Jalen Ramsey, he is here to stay, but where exactly? While they are paying him like a top-10 cornerback, he doesn’t appear to be that anymore. But can he be a top-10 safety, or even a top-10 slot defender? Is his greatest value, rather, in his versatility?
I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the Steelers right now don’t know how they plan to use Jalen Ramsey. One of the best defensive backs of his generation, he is clearly on the back end of his career. But he still has plenty of fire and plenty of talent left, even if he’s lost a step.
Ramsey should be a benefit to the Steelers this season, but they also have to take steps to protect him. Ensure that they are putting him in a position to succeed and to make use of his strengths. No longer, it seems, should he face top wide receivers in one-on-one matchups in key moments. That’s not where the strength of his game lies at this point in his career, regardless of what his paycheck suggests.
Before the midway point of the 2026 season, Jalen Ramsey will be 32 years old. Healthwise, he has logged 1,000-plus snaps in four of the past five seasons, so durability is not a significant concern. In fact, his 1,104 snaps last season were the most of his entire career.
But where can he best help the Steelers? The first step for the team, I think, is to figure out where the rest of their strengths lie. Joey Porter Jr. and Jamel Dean are their two outside starting cornerbacks, clearly. Where do DeShon Elliott and Jaquan Brisker fit in? Are they your starting safeties, with Jalen Ramsey in the slot? Does Ramsey play safety over one of them when they are in a base 3-4 front?
One thing he provides the Steelers is flexibility. While you might not want to line him up against Ja’Marr Chase in one-on-one situations all game, Ramsey can do it. Especially if they move him around pre-snap and create different looks than expected. New DC Patrick Graham seems capable of making use of his versatility, so they may well lean into that.
The Steelers exited the playoffs in the first round yet again, a pattern going back to 2017.With seven consecutive postseason losses, and no wins in nearly a decade, they are facing another long, long offseason. No doubt we will see many changes, but none will top Mike Tomlin’s resignation.
The NFL has crowned its latest champion, but for us and the Steelers, we have been in offseason mode. That’s what happens when the team you coverloses by the middle of January all the time, but you’ve been around, so you know that already. Enjoy the ride, even the turbulence, because it’s the only way we know how to travel anymore.
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