The Pittsburgh Steelers have been put in a very interesting situation to begin the 2026 training camp. In a timeframe where roles are established and chemistry is developed, three cornerbacks have officially been placed on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. Two of those are expected to be starters, with Jalen Ramsey looking to be a versatile piece all over the defense as Joey Porter Jr. is negotiating an extension and looking to prove himself to be Pittsburgh's top corner again. For now, those things are all put on hold until their health improves.
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Steelers cornerbacks Jalen Ramsey and Joey Porter Jr. during a regular season win over the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2025 season.
Losing both of these players in training camp hurts, but one is an especially big blow. While making an appearance on Steelers Collective, insider Ray Fittipaldo detailed the loss of one of these men this early.
"[Jalen Ramsey] is a veteran, but they were going to use him in such a way that the players around him have to get used to what he's going to do," Fittipaldo explained. "I think the coaches, ideally, wanted to use camp as sort of a test run for that. 'How is it going to look? What are they going to do?' They're not going to show everything they want to do during the season in camp, but I do think that this is maybe a missed opportunity for them to get more on the same page as far as what the season's going to look like."
The biggest thing with Ramsey is that while he's seen as the starting slot corner, the Steelers really don't want to put him in any set position. This is more than just missing out on chemistry with an inside defensive back. The veteran was expected to play slot, outside corner, safety, maybe even dime backer. The expectation was that he would be all over the field, and even as he recovers from this injury, that is likely still the plan for Pittsburgh.
This isn't just a missed opportunity to get Ramsey comfortable in all these roles, especially since he worked on that in 2025 training camp. This is a missed opportunity for his teammates to develop chemistry with him and react appropriately to his constant change of position. There are so many new faces on the defense, so it's going to take time for everyone to get on the same page. Now, there is much less time for everyone to learn these concepts.
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Steelers defensive back Jalen Ramsey (5) during 2025 training camp in Latrobe, PA.
To amplify the loss of Ramsey, Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham is also new. He likely has seen some practice film from 2025, but he has not seen how the veteran defensive back does in these new roles with his own eyes. He can't run a complicated scheme like this without feeling comfortable about it. Pittsburgh may not want the former All-Pro to be put in one position, but they may not have a choice but to pump the brakes on this idea.
Steelers Can Go Off Of 2025 Game Film To Help Assess Ramsey
While the tape doesn't show everything about Ramsey, the Steelers can still get a good idea of how they should approach this with the very limited time they have. For the back half of the season, he primarily played free safety, so they should have a good idea on how he will fare at that position, although he would still need to make sure that Jaquan Brisker and DeShon Elliott know what's going on whenever he's back there.
One thing that is clear from the tape, however, is the fact that Ramsey had some issues at outside cornerback in the early part of 2025. There is plenty of talent at that spot, even with Porter on the PUP list, so he shouldn't have to be thrown back there. The plan seems to be simple: keep the veteran between the numbers at all costs and let him make some plays from there. He just needs to get on the same page with everyone first.
What do you think about Ramsey's injury being a missed opportunity for the whole defense? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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