Steelers Have A Big Problem For Week 1 As There Is Still Clear Confusion

The Pittsburgh Steelers are getting prepared for the team's season opener against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1. This is the Steelers' first home season opener since the 2023 campaign when the franchise was embarrassed by the San Francisco 49ers. Hopefully the outcome is different this time around, and a lot of that is going to hinge on the Pittsburgh defense being able to keep the weapons that Atlanta has in check. The Falcons are not expected to be a great team in 2026, but their offense is loaded with everything besides a quarterback. The Pittsburgh defense is going to have to be on its A game to avoid an upset.

One of the issues with Pittsburgh's defense going into the 2026 season is the safety room. DeShon Elliott was unexpectedly placed on Injured Reserve (IR), so he will be out for the first four games of the season. Aside from him, the room consists of Rayshawn Jenkins, Jaquan Brisker, and rookie Robert Spears-Jennings. Jenkins looked good in the preseason and he has plenty of experience while Brisker missed a decent chunk of time with an injury. Spears-Jennings showed improvement throughout camp and the preseason, and there is hope that he will be an immediate contributor.

Even with those three names, the depth is extremely thin. This was something that beat writer Mike DeFabo touched on in a recent article for The Athletic where he was asked about the biggest surprise on cutdown day heading into the season.

"The surprising move was the Steelers placed safety DeShon Elliott on injured reserve," DeFabo wrote. "That’s a significant blow. The depth at this position group was already a question mark behind Elliott and Jaquan Brisker, an offseason addition who fits best around the box. Next man up? Seventh-round rookie Robert Spears-Jennings or 32-year-old Rayshawn Jenkins. The Steelers could also tap into Jalen Ramsey’s versatility (at least in the base defense), even though they ideally prefer him to play the nickel corner position."

The depth alone is concerning at safety, but what also remains a question is how Jalen Ramsey is going to be used in new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham's defense. The veteran played outside cornerback to start last year, but it became clear that he had lost a step. He eventually transitioned to safety while also spending some time in the slot.

There were some questions about where Ramsey would play in this new defense, and the obvious answer would be the "star" position which is what Graham refers to his slot cornerback as. Most teams are in a nickel defense most of the time, but when Pittsburgh is in their base defense it will be interesting to see if Ramsey comes off of the field or if he just moves to free safety. He gets paid too much to keep him off of the field, which means fans might see him rotating between the two spots.

Steelers Missed Out On Getting More Clarity With Jalen Ramsey's Role

Ramsey suffered a mysterious injury during the offseason program, and the nagging injury followed him to Latrobe. He was placed on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list the day before camp began, and he did not return to the practice until recently. This means there was no real way to gain any clarity on where he might be deployed once the season begins, and should also raise some concerns with the communication on the back end of the defense. Communication is important, and so many key pieces of the secondary missed valuable practice time due to injury during training camp. Hopefully everyone is on the same page in Week 1.

What do you think Ramsey's main role will be on the defense? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!

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