How serious is Jalen Ramsey’s hamstring injury?
Jalen Ramsey, the Steelers’ prized offseason acquisition, suffered a hamstring injury on Sunday and reportedly may miss “several games”. While the team is heading into its bye week, several weeks means more than one week. If the report by Gerry Dulac is correct, he will miss time.
The question, then, is how much. Is it enough to justify a stint on the Reserve/Injured list? In such a case, it’s important to stress that players must miss four games, not weeks, on IR. The rule used to include the bye week but does not anymore.
Early in Sunday’s game, Jalen Ramsey picked up a fumble and returned it for a touchdown. While the Vikings did indeed fumble, officials ruled the ball dead due to contact with a player out of bounds. The irony is that Ramsey mimed a hamstring injury as part of his touchdown celebration, only to later suffer an actual hamstring injury. In the interest of an abundance of clarity, the connection between the celebration and the injury is purely coincidental. He was not injured during or prior to the celebration; it’s something athletes do.
Mind you, as of now, we have one report from one reporter about Jalen Ramsey’s injury. It’s the early morning here, and presumably, we will hear more today. That would especially be the case if this turns out to be a multiple-week injury.
The report at least raises the question of how serious Ramsey’s injury is. He grabbed his hamstring while in chase position. As Dulac acknowledged, and HC Mike Tomlin said after the Steelers’ 24-21 win over the Vikings, Ramsey attempted to return to the game. He was in on the Vikings’ first touchdown of the fourth quarter, for example. It might be hard to believe he could go from “almost came back” to “misses several games”, but hamstrings suck. I don’t know what else to tell you.
The good news is the Steelers should be getting healthy in the secondary outside of Ramsey. Joey Porter Jr. was already nearing a return prior to Sunday’s game, practicing last week. Brandin Echols and Darius Slay both suffered what only appear to be bumps and bruises in the Vikings game. And don’t forget about Cory Trice Jr., who thought he would be ready for Week 1 only for Tomlin to stash him on IR. Now eligible to return after four games have transpired, he could find his way back to the 53-man roster for depth.
After another disappointing season and months of retooling, the Steelers are set to try it all again in 2025. Though they limped into the playoffs, they once again embarrassed themselves therein.
Just like last year, the biggest question hanging over the Steelers is the quarterback question. They settled in on Aaron Rodgers, but we still have a lot to learn about him. The 2025 NFL Draft class could play a big role, but veteran additions like Jalen Ramsey will be paramount.
Now we are in the regular season. From Rodgers to George Pickens to Minkah Fitzpatrick and Ramsey, we’ve seen the Steelers make some big changes. Now it’s about evaluating the roster in place and figuring out how it all works out.
