Despite beating the Baltimore Ravens in their first matchup against the team last season, the Pittsburgh Steelers looked outclassed in their final two matchups against the Ravens, including in their playoff loss. Pittsburgh is determined not to let that happen again. Appearing on The Rich Eisen Show, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said that being a more physical team has been a focus for the Steelers this offseason.
“They are trying to become more of a physical football team,” Dulac said. “Everybody knows they’re a physical football team, but after the way they got pushed around twice by the Baltimore Ravens, they don’t want to get pushed around again. So physicality has been a big emphasis this offseason. And Jalen Ramsey and even Jonnu Smith are factors in that. Now, Jonnu Smith isn’t brought in to be a game changer, he’s not that kind of player, he’s going to be a complementary player, but Jalen Ramsey obviously has the ability to be that.”
Mike Tomlin said after the 2025 NFL Draft that the Steelers were looking to add a “big man presence,” so their focus on physicality isn’t really a surprise. DK Metcalf is a big physical receiver, Jalen Ramsey is a physical cornerback, and Jonnu Smith adds size and versatility for the Steelers to work more effectively in multiple tight end packages.
The Steelers aren’t going full bully ball with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, but they’ve done a good job adding players who aren’t afraid to be physical and adding size to help them match up in a gritty AFC North. Adding Ramsey gives them another talented cornerback to pair with Joey Porter Jr. and Darius Slay to combat some of the talented passing attacks in the division, and the Steelers want to make sure they aren’t getting embarrassed by division opponents.
The Ravens might still have more talent than the Steelers, but Pittsburgh can match up with their size and not get steamrolled as they did in the Wild Card Round playoff loss, when they allowed 299 rushing yards. That simply can’t happen, and Pittsburgh made an emphasis on ensuring they’re adding bodies to help them play in their weight class.
The Ramsey trade was a clear indicator of Pittsburgh’s focus on counteracting their opponents’ strengths, and even though Pittsburgh gave up Minkah Fitzpatrick in the deal, the versatility and physicality of Ramsey and Smith can still make them a better team. It’s been a clear focus for the Steelers this offseason to bulk up, and the results on the field should show that this season.
