He’s older, more expensive and not a clean fit defensively with the hole now present in the secondary. But the Pittsburgh Steelers don’t seem to share those concerns about Jalen Ramsey.
After acquiring him last week along with tight end Jonnu Smith for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and a late-round pick swap, the Steelers believe they’re a better team. They also believe Ramsey is more versatile and can do more in the secondary.
At 31 years old and not a true safety, Ramsey projects as an interesting fit for the Steelers in the slot. He’ll be compared heavily to Fitzpatrick though, considering they were essentially swapped for each other.
For FS1’s Nick Wright, the Steelers made a mistake prioritizing Ramsey over Fitzpatrick, who was a franchise pillar for five years.
“I think that when I looked at this trade, they valued Jalen Ramsey more than they valued Minkah Fitzpatrick,” Wright said, according to video via FS1. “And I think that’s a mistake. I just don’t think at this point in his career, Jalen Ramsey is better than Minkah Fitzpatrick.”
Fitzpatrick is just 28 years old, but he’s coming off two quiet seasons with the Steelers. After leading the NFL with six interceptions in 2022, Fitzpatrick had just one over the last two years. That interception came in Week 16 against the Baltimore Ravens on the road last season.
His usage wasn’t all that great either as he was stuck in the single-high role for the Steelers. That allowed him to keep a lid on things but didn’t put him in many promising situations to force turnovers.
With Ramsey now in the fold, the Steelers seemingly believe that they can do multiple things in the secondary, moving the seven-time Pro Bowler around in different roles. That could be outside corner, slot corner, or even some safety snaps. Even at 31 years old, Ramsey can move around and wear different hats.
That could bode well for the Steelers, and it might ultimately be why they were willing to move Fitzpatrick.
Are they truly valuing Ramsey more than Fitzpatrick though? That might be debatable. Sure, they traded Fitzpatrick to land both Ramsey and Smith, and in trades you have to give to get. Is it possible they just valued the pairing of Ramsey and Smith more than what Fitzpatrick could provide on his own?
That might have just been the cost of business. But they feel they got better with the move entering a year they’re trying to compete. It was an exciting move, but it might ultimately be a major mistake.
