The Pittsburgh Steelers knew they needed to add more talent at the cornerback position this offseason. The attempts over the last couple of years (Patrick Peterson, Donte Jackson, and Cam Sutton) didn’t play out the way the team hoped to. They were aggressive again this year, signing Darius Slay and trading for Jalen Ramsey. Now, they have three experienced corners, with Joey Porter Jr. rounding out the group.
But how do the Steelers plan on utilizing them? Before the Ramsey trade, the answers were obvious. But now with three starting-capable corners, what will things look like? Will someone be the odd man out? Or can they really get all three on the field at the same time? Head coach Mike Tomlin thinks so. He was asked how Ramsey fits into the secondary during his media availability on Wednesday when the team reported to training camp, and he had some thoughts.
“We’re gonna start him regardless,” Tomlin said per video from Steelers.com. “Where we move him around and things really depends on what offenses are doing. Make no mistake, those top three cornerbacks I mentioned, Jalen Ramsey, Slay, and Joey Porter Jr., they’re gonna be on the field, I don’t care what offenses come out in.”
The most logical lineup would be Porter and Slay as the outside corners, with Ramsey lined up in the slot. After the Steelers traded for Ramsey, NFL film guru Greg Cosell envisioned a scenario where the Steelers could shift to playing even more nickel personnel than last year. This would certainly check the box of getting all three of these corners on the field simultaneously.
The other option, one that has gone up and down among insiders more than a see-saw, is Ramsey playing at safety. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Steelers see some of their former Hall of Fame CB Ron Woodson in Ramsey. Woodson only played corner in Pittsburgh, but he spent the final five years of his career at safety. He was named First Team and Second Team All-Pro and made four Pro Bowls while playing safety.
But Chris Adamski says the Steelers don’t even know their plans for Ramsey, whether he’ll be at corner or safety. Only time this training camp will tell. But at this point, it seems like the Steelers are planning on having all three of Darius Slay, Joey Porter Jr., and Jalen Ramsey on the field at the same time as much as possible.
