The Pittsburgh Steelers made massive improvements to their cornerback room this offseason. They signed Darius Slay and also traded for Jalen Ramsey. While Ramsey didn’t have his best season in 2024, throughout training camp, he looked as advertised. He’s a former All-Pro player, and he could immediately become the Steelers’ best corner. When asked which of the Steelers’ top three corners could follow an opponent’s No. 1 wide receiver, Mike Tomlin showed complete confidence in Ramsey.
“Not a whole lot of conversations,” Tomlin said Thursday via the team’s YouTube channel. “Jalen’s gonna get it. Some people may hate it, and I love that competitive spirit in the collective, but I think it’s already been decided.”
It isn’t surprising to hear Tomlin put his faith in Ramsey. The corner’s resumé speaks for itself. He’s a three-time first-team All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowler. For most of his NFL career, Ramsey has been among the best players at his position.
Recently, Ramsey expressed how badly he wants to match up against opposing teams’ No. 1 receivers. He explained that other corners, like Joey Porter Jr., might also want that task, but Ramsey has the utmost confidence in himself.
It’s still a little unclear what exactly Ramsey’s role on the Steelers’ defense will be. Tomlin makes it clear that Ramsey will guard a team’s best receiver. However, throughout training camp, he also received work at slot corner.
It looks like Ramsey will be a chess piece that the Steelers will move around, but when they come up against a truly elite receiver, they could have him shadow that player. He should get opportunities to go against the best of the best, too. Some of the receivers that the Steelers are scheduled to this season face include Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tyreek Hill.
Those are elite players who can take the top off of any defense. The Steelers are familiar with what Chase can do, too. Playing against him and Tee Higgins twice last season tested their defense. While they beat the Cincinnati Bengals in one of those matchups, they still struggled to contain that dynamic duo.
With Ramsey, that task should become more doable. While it’s never easy to contain that kind of talent, Ramsey has experience battling the league’s best. If the rest of the Steelers’ secondary holds up, then it has the potential to be one of the best units in the league.
