Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Jalen Ramsey in a game against the Baltimore Ravens on Jan. 4, 2026. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report projects the Pittsburgh Steelers to trade All-Pro Jalen Ramsey to the Dallas Cowboys for a fifth-round pick (No. 150) this offseason.
“Jalen Ramsey has been connected to the Dallas Cowboys since he entered the league. The star defensive back has said the team told him they would draft him when they chose Ezekiel Elliott in the 2016 draft,” Ballentine wrote. “Dallas also came up as a potential suitor when the Dolphins were potentially looking to trade Ramsey last spring, although Cowboys insider Ed Werder refuted the report.
“Still, one year later and the Cowboys have a need in the defensive backfield. They released Trevon Diggs at the end of the season and DaRon Bland is the only sure thing coming back next season.
“There is risk in trading for Ramsey. He’s 31 and was moved to safety in the latter half of the season in Pittsburgh. However, it probably would only cost a Day 3 pick given his price tag and age. Even if the Cowboys have to keep him at safety, he would bring playmaking and leadership to the secondary.”
Pittsburgh Steelers DB Jalen Ramsey in a game against the Detroit Lions on Dec. 21, 2025. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith were acquired by the Steelers in a blockbuster trade with the Miami Dolphins last offseason that did not go all that well.
The Steelers started the season with Ramsey at slot cornerback, and first tried moving him outside before eventually settling on playing him at free safety. The move stabilized the team’s defense, but did not allow Ramsey to be the playmaker the team hoped he’d be. He was voted to the Pro Bowl, however, despite finishing the season with one interception.
His average annual salary of $21.9 million would make him the second-highest-paid safety in the league, and that seems untenable for his production. The Steelers wouldn’t save a lot of salary cap space in 2026 by releasing Ramsey, as a release would incur a $14.6 million dead cap hit, but the Steelers aren’t in any kind of salary cap crunch, anyway.
Parting ways with Ramsey would be more about re-evaluating the amount of money the Steelers are spending and what they’re getting for it at the safety position — which is what the team was trying to do when it traded the highly paid Minkah Fitzpatrick to Miami for Ramsey in the first place.
Alan Saunders contributed.
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