In recent years, Pittsburgh Steelers WR-CB matchups during training camp, particularly 1-on-1s, have had some intrigue. Guys like Joey Porter Jr. and George Pickens battling has led to some great theater.
This summer there could be major fireworks on Chuck Noll Field at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe. We’re talking DK Metcalf against Jalen Ramsey, a matchup that has history dating back to their respective times with the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams.
For Good Morning Football’s Kyle Brandt, that matchup between Metcalf and Ramsey reminds him of the old-school matchups in the day of Terrell Owens against Pacman Jones in Dallas Cowboys training camp that he used to attend.
“I think this is a huge matchup. Let’s not forget Jalen Ramsey, a longtime Ram. He played against DK a lot in the NFC West, and it was not always pleasant,” Brandt said, according to video via NFL Network. “I think two good dudes is just really, really competitive. These are two alphas, they’re two sharks, whatever you want to call ’em.”
There is a history between Ramsey and Metcalf dating back to matchups in the NFC West. They’ve had plenty of dustups on the field — both during and after plays.
Now, they are teammates in Pittsburgh. They’ll go against each other a number of times in training camp, which will be a huge storyline. Things could be tense, too, as it will be hot, and a competitive environment should get the juices flowing and could lead to some heated moments.
They are no strangers to those, as they’ve really gone after each other on the field throughout their careers. It’s never quite gotten to Andre Johnson-Cortland Finnegan levels, but there’s definitely a history there.
Now that they’re teammates that has to all be in the past. That’s similar to Darius Slay and Darnell Washington, who got into it last season in the game in Philadelphia. Now that they don the same colors, it’s water under the bridge.
Hopefully that’s the case with Metcalf and Ramsey as they were key pieces to a big, aggressive offseason for the Steelers. After chasing the big fish at receiver in recent offseasons, GM Omar Khan finally landed that fish, snagging Metcalf from Seattle via trade, giving him a five-year, $150 million extension after the trade.
Metcalf is the true No. 1 receiver for the Black and Gold and will be counted on in a major way.
After admiring Ramsey from afar for years, head coach Mike Tomlin finally gets his hands on him, giving Pittsburgh a versatile piece in the secondary to move around and plug holes.
Outside of Aaron Rodgers, the two were the biggest names the Steelers added this offseason. All eyes will be on them in Latrobe later this month. Hopefully Tomlin gives everyone the matchup they want to see right away, and Ramsey and Metcalf can deliver on the hype.
