The Steelers have options about how to use Jalen Ramsey, but at what point must they formulate a concrete plan? While he is one of the elite cornerbacks of his generation, his time is drawing to a close. The former All-Pro turns 32 years old this season, and he has started to show his age.
But the grisly veteran, former Steelers CB Joe Haden believes, still has a trick or two up his sleeve. Speaking about how the team should use Jalen Ramsey on the Deebo & Joe podcast, he had some clear ideas. “Slot”, he said. “I would have him at free [safety] or slot. He’s still gonna be table to guard tight ends now because the speed isn’t there at corner. At the outside, you’ve got to be young; you’ve still got to be able to run”.
His co-host, James Harrison, was “100 percent” on board as well; so, too, was podcast guest Ben Roethlisberger. Sharing his point of view, he said, “I like Ramsey in the slot, too. As a quarterback, he makes me more nervous in the slot … because of his mind”, the former Steelers quarterback said.
“When you’re in the slot, it’s all about your mind”, he added, crediting Jalen Ramsey as a cerebral player. “I also like him in there because I think you can blitz him more. … [And] you can put him on a tight end and say, ‘I don’t want that tight end to touch the ball’”.
A former top-five draft pick, Jalen Ramsey is an eight-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro. He made the Pro Bowl last season with the Steelers, which introduced him to new possibilities. Starting out primarily in the slot but also drawing boundary assignments, he later moved full-time to safety.
Ramsey had some struggles playing man-to-man outside against top wide receivers, most notably against Tee Higgins. It may have been fortuitous for Ramsey that DeShon Elliott went down with an injury, which allowed the Steelers to make adjustments in the secondary.
While the novelty seemed to wear off as the season progressed, Ramsey took to safety like a duck to water, initially. Combined with the addition of Kyle Dugger, the new safety tandem helped solidify the Steelers’ defense. But it appeared as teams adjusted to the duo, they became easier to read, and to exploit.
If the Steelers want to keep Jalen Ramsey at safety, though, there is reason for optimism. He would have an entire offseason to fully immerse himself in the position. Last year, he had to do it on the fly, unplanned. While they discussed the possibility of him playing safety, nobody anticipated it coming when or how it did.
But how much of a concern is it if the Steelers can’t trust Ramsey on the edge? Relative to salary, it’s not ideal. But if they can get 1,100 quality snaps out of him at safety and in the slot, does it matter? Now it’s up to the coaching staff how best to exploit his talents, and perhaps minimize his weaknesses.