Omar Khan may be putting his life as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ GM on the line with his latest move, sending Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith. In an article published Tuesday, Fox Sports’ Eric Williams spoke to an anonymous NFL GM who doesn’t believe that move will pay off.
“‘Ramsey at safety is intriguing to me, but not at that money,” the general manager told me. “He is still a starting corner, but again, his performance will not equal his pay,” Williams wrote.
While the addition of Jalen Ramsey is exciting, the Steelers might be playing a game of musical chairs in their secondary. It’s not a bad problem, as there is still a good amount of depth. Alongside Ramsey, Joey Porter Jr., and Darius Slay form an extremely impressive cornerback room. Even without Fitzpatrick, Juan Thornhill and DeShon Elliott are also a solid safety duo.
However, Ramsey is starting to get up there in age. He’ll turn 31 during the 2025 season, and cornerbacks don’t tend to do especially well the older they get. That, combined with the fact that Pittsburgh lost a safety in Fitzpatrick, is all signs that Ramsey may make the transition.
The anonymous GM thinks his performance won’t equal the pay. If that ends up being true, it will likely be due to his run defense. Ramsey was solid against the pass, giving up a 62-percent completion rate and allowing a passer rating of 83.2 when targeted. He does play with physicality, which should help him against the run. However, his technique will need cleaning up after he missed 14.3-percent of his tackles in 2024.
There’s something to be said about versatility. That’s something the Steelers like in their players, and it’s something Jalen Ramsey brings to the table. During his Super Bowl-winning season with the Los Angeles Rams in 2021, Ramsey played both outside and nickel corner and earned First-Team All-Pro honors while doing so. Ramsey’s skill set also seems to blend well with the safety position.
Maybe the Steelers are paying Ramsey too much as a safety. But there’s a good chance he does much more than that in Pittsburgh.
Despite that, the same anonymous GM believes Miami is getting the better end of the deal.
“‘(Minkah) Fitzpatrick is a better safety—younger, cheaper, and less drama,” he added. “I give Miami kudos for rectifying a mistake contract extension from a year ago,” Williams wrote.
Time will tell who wins this trade. Fitzpatrick is younger, and he doesn’t bring any drama. However, saying he’s a better option than Ramsey may be a stretch. If it were 2022, maybe, but Fitzpatrick has struggled, especially against the pass, in the past two years. To be fair, he does bring more against the run than Ramsey.
Reviews regarding this trade have been all over the place. This isn’t a good one. However, the Steelers’ defense fell apart towards the end of the 2024 season, with Fitzpatrick being a part of it. With a few new additions, including Jalen Ramsey, they’ll hope for a different outcome in 2025.
