Steelers' Supposed Great Defense May Ride On 1 Player's Health As Jalen Ramsey Could "Screw Up Everything Again"

The Pittsburgh Steelers are expected to have a serious boost on defense. In 2025, they finished as a bottom five unit in multiple categories, as they would allow yards ad nauseum. Considering the fact that this has been the highest paid defensive squad in the NFL for many years now, this is downright unacceptable. Now, however, the team brought in Patrick Graham to call the shots. His knack for getting the most out of lesser-talented teams makes it exciting to see what he can do with a team full of studs. 

Team insider Mark Kaboly sees a way that this plan could completely fall apart. On a recent episode of Kaboly + Mack, he spoke about how one player could end up tearing down this great unit.

"The concern to me would be the depth issues at safety if [DeShon] Elliott doesn't return to his form from a year and a half ago," Kaboly said. "Then what do you do? Are you going to throw [Jalen] Ramsey back there and screw up everything again?"

Since he first signed with the Steelers, DeShon Elliott has been a fan favorite for his strong, physical play. His teammates also love the motivation and energy that he brings to the table every week. He is a true role-player whose value is wildly underestimated. That made it very hard for the team to stomach losing him after Week 1 and then watching him suffer a season-ending injury in Week 8. 

After that Week 8 game, nearly every single safety on the roster suffered some sort of injury, which forced defensive back Jalen Ramsey to switch to that position. He had some reps at free safety at times during the season, but Pittsburgh wanted to use him as a "positionless" player that would allow his experiences and instincts to take him to the ball and make a big play on it on a regular basis. 

He played great in his first game at safety, so he almost exclusively played in that spot for the rest of the season. There was a clear need there, and he was the best fit available for the middle of the season. There seemed to be something there, and his ability to analyze the field could maybe unlock another level that this defense needs. 

It did not workout that way every game, however. He was still better at safety than outside cornerback, but that's a low bar. During his first season in Pittsburgh, Ramsey allowed a 70.4% completion percentage and seven touchdowns, both of which were the worst marks in his career by far. He was not the X-factor that Mike Tomlin believed he would be as the whole defense was never able to truly get its footing. 

Now, the expectation is that Ramsey will be able to float around a little more, but the Steelers seem to want him as the slot corner more than anything else. Elliott and the newly-acquired Jaquan Brisker should be able to hold down the fort at safety, but if they can't, Ramsey may have to go back to that role for a significant period of time. Maybe he would be better in that role under Graham, but only time will tell.

Steelers Keeping Ramsey Was A Shock To Many

With Ramsey's lack of production and his massive contract, it seemed certain that he would get let go in the continued efforts to undo the Steelers' gameplan in 2025. However, March rolled around with no one being particularly interested in trading for him. 

The two sides agreed to work together again for one more year after his roster bonus came, but this will likely be his final season in Pittsburgh if his struggles continue.

What do you think about Kaboly worrying about Ramsey ruining everything with a possible Elliott injury? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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