Steelers Traded For Jalen Ramsey To Battle The Elite AFC Teams

The Pittsburgh Steelers have officially shocked the world by making a big five-piece trade with the Miami Dolphins. Part of that deal is bringing in Jalen Ramsey to add to a cornerback room that has seen a lot of turnover recently. There are some questions about how his big contract will work with the upcoming cap situation. Luckily, they won't have to deal with the big signing bonus, so they can hold onto him until the guarantees run out, when they can let him go without a penalty to their cap if they desire. 

During his weekly Q&A chat, insider Brian Batko was asked about why the Steelers specifically wanted Ramsey. He responded by talking what he can do against the top teams in the AFC.

"So I do think there's an argument to be made for the flexibility that Ramsey gives you as a cover corner and a good run defender," Batko said. "Every move the Steelers make, they need to be thinking about how to beat teams like Baltimore, Buffalo and KC in January. If you don't want linebackers covering slot receivers, you better get to your nickel or dime defense. If you don't want Derrick Henry sticking a foot up your behind in the playoffs, you better be able to stop the run. Trying to problem-solve those super-powered offenses isn't easy and it takes transcendent players, brilliant schemes or both to do it."

Head Coach Mike Tomlin has certainly had issues with coming up with schemes that fit certain players at times, as former and current players had their concerns with the way he would do things in the past. When a highly-paid supposedly-elite defense like Pittsburgh's falters as often as they have recently, it makes sense why a lot of blame would go to the one mostly in-charge of calling the plays out and coming up with the gameplan each week. 

Tomlin's attempt to fix these issues was to help convince General Manager Omar Khan to get a player with elite upside, even though he may be past his peak already. As Batko mentions, Ramsey's ability to cover in the slot and defend the run could help execute the team's overall vision on defense. It doesn't matter how good the Baltimore Ravens are; giving up 299 rushing yards to your most hated rival is inexcusable. Getting run stoppers all over the field like Ramsey became a priority for the Steelers. 

The Steelers are not good enough to be in the top tier of the AFC, which means that they can't rely on talent alone. They need to load up with more high-ceiling players and fix the schematics any way they can. Getting a versatile star like Ramsey should help with that. The only question is about what he has left in the tank. He's on the wrong side of 30 and most of his 2024 stats were lower than all of his healthy seasons. 

Do Steelers Have The Wrong Formula?

The Steelers have spent a lot of money on veterans to turn a corner in recent years, and bringing in Ramsey is just another example of this. It's always good to have veterans that have seen and done a lot, but there is such a thing as being too old of a team. Investing that much cap space into 30+ year olds could be a problem. The Arizona Cardinals know all about being a proverbial retirement home for former superstars.

Yes, players in their prime like DK Metcalf are not available very often, and when they are, they are usually very expensive. However, you get what you pay for. Maybe a couple positions could benefit from more veterans, but overall, the Steelers still need a healthy infusion of high-ceiling young players to develop into potential stars. They've done that with the offensive and defensive lines recently, but the secondary could stand to get younger, as opposed to older. 

What do you think about Ramsey being acquired to be the big piece to stop the top teams in the conference? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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