Steelers Get Surprising News As Star Defender Jalen Ramsey Faces Adversity With Injury

The Pittsburgh Steelers reported to Latrobe on Tuesday morning as the team gets ready for training camp prior to the 2026 regular season. This is the time of the year where fans get to see what the team is made of, and teams really begin to take shape. At the start of training camp is when teams announce the health statuses of guys throughout the roster, and some players are even placed on the Physically Unable To Perform (PUP) List. This means the player still counts against the roster number, but the player is unable to practice. The player can be cleared at any part of training camp and return to action.

There were some players for Pittsburgh that have been known to be hurt, but a surprising one was veteran defensive back Jalen Ramsey. There had been no discussion about him potentially getting hurt near the end of the offseason program, but it was announced on Tuesday morning by General Manager Omar Khan that the star defender is more than likely going to be placed on the PUP. This is unfortunate, but it doesn't mean anything too serious. He can return to the field in the near future, although Khan did say it could be a couple of weeks before Ramsey is ready to return to practice.

"We're going through some conditioning stuff right now," Khan said. "I'll have more information later, but right now, I anticipate Donte Kent starting on PUP. Probably Jalen Ramsey will also start on PUP. Jalen had an injury he suffered during the minicamp. He's recovering; probably be a couple of weeks if I had to guess on his return."

Donte Kent was a seventh-round pick by the Steelers during the 2025 NFL Draft. He missed his entire rookie season due to injury, and now he is starting his second season on the PUP. It isn't a great sign for the second-year player, as it is hard to imagine he is on the roster if the final group was announced today. Ramsey was a surprise addition to the PUP, mainly because fans did not know about his injury from minicamp.

It has been described as a knee injury for Ramsey. It is probably a sprain or something of the sort due to the fact that his timeline for a return is still a couple of weeks away. Thankfully it is nothing too serious that would force him to miss extended time. He just needs to be cleared prior to the final roster being announced. 

If he ends training camp on the PUP, he would have to miss the first four games of the regular season. The Steelers cannot afford to have that happen. Thankfully, Khan believes he will be ready for the regular season. Ramsey is the main communicator on the back end of the defense, and the unit is probably going to be better with him on the field.

Steelers Have Plenty Of Backup For Jalen Ramsey

The Steelers have a deep secondary, which is helpful when a guy like Ramsey goes down. Ramsey is no longer considered a cornerback, he is a defensive back. He might play some outside corner, some slot corner, and he will likely be the starting free safety in the defense's base look. He is versatile and can play all over the place, and the Steelers have depth at both cornerback and safety.

The franchise signed Jaquan Brisker during free agency in 2026, which has been seen as a high-value signing as the organization got him on a one-year deal. At cornerback, Brandin Echols and Asante Samuel Jr. played well for Pittsburgh in 2025. Daylen Everette is another player to watch as he was praised throughout the spring. Hopefully Ramsey can return soon, but the defense has the players to make up for his absence in the meantime. This will also lead to some more exposure for younger guys on the roster, including Sebastian Castro.

What do you think of Ramsey landing on the PUP? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!

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