On Monday, the Pittsburgh Steelers made a significant defensive change, sending Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith. Despite making such a massive trade that adds to both sides of the ball, Schwab doesn’t think Pittsburgh comes out of the deal as the winner. Interestingly, he doesn’t think the Dolphins do, either.
“On paper, just the roster, I don’t think either team really got better,” Schwab said on Inside Coverage on Tuesday. “And it’s kind of weird to say that. Like, why make the deal other than to get rid of some of your problems… I didn’t really love this trade for either side. It doesn’t really make me think that the Dolphins got the best side of it. Doesn’t really make me think the Steelers are any closer to beating the Ravens for the division or anything.”
For the Steelers to look like the winners of this trade, Ramsey obviously has to play well, but not only at cornerback. Pittsburgh already has some depth there, including Joey Porter Jr. and Darius Slay. Even at nickel corner, Beanie Bishop Jr. put together a great rookie campaign in 2024.
While the Steelers do have a solid duo between Juan Thornhill and DeShon Elliott, there’s just not much aside from them at safety, especially with Fitzpatrick now gone. Thus, many expect Ramsey to transition to safety, which a lot of cornerbacks do as they grow older. That said, Ramsey will likely play all three of outside corner, nickel corner, and safety during the 2025 season.
Fitzpatrick was a franchise cornerstone, and anytime you move on from one of those, it’s a difficult pill to swallow. But the defense as a whole struggled, and Fitzpatrick wasn’t creating turnovers anymore, nor was he playing well in pass defense. Pittsburgh figured they were a better fit with the versatility that comes with Ramsey if he can transition to safety well.
Schwab doesn’t think the Steelers improved offensively, either.
“Jonnu Smith had a really nice year for the Dolphins last year,” Schwab said. “But they had Pat Freiermuth. Nobody was looking at the Steelers’ depth chart saying they really need a tight end… I don’t know how it really makes the Steelers that much better on offense.”
If Smith were only to be playing tight end, the trade would make a lot less sense. However, Smith has the ability to line up wide as a receiver, and he can be in the backfield as a fullback as well. He can wear many different hats offensively, and is coming off a season that was statistically better than any pass-catcher the Steelers had last year.
It’s hard to look at Smith as anything but an upgrade. Even if he’s not a massive one, he’s not taking any talent away from the unit. Defensively, it’s much more up in the air. Fitzpatrick wasn’t playing at the same All-Pro level we’re used to. But he certainly was still one of the better safeties in the league. Ramsey himself has plenty of talent, and his versatility could make him a better fit for this defense than Fitzpatrick. Ultimately, only time will tell.
