Grading the signing: Steelers acquisition of Jamel Dean confirms suspicion surrounding Jalen Ramsey’s future in Pittsburgh
The Steelers have found their CB No.2, and it says a lot about what happens next with Jalen Ramsey.
You could argue that outside of quarterback, the two biggest holes on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ roster were the WR No.2 and CB No.2 spots. Well, Omar Khan and the Steelers front office took care of the former with a blockbuster trade for Michael Pittman at the start of free agency, and they followed it up with their first big signing via Jamel Dean.
But was it a good move for the Steelers? We grade the trade below, and discuss what it means for Jalen Ramsey.
Steelers find their CB No.2 with Jamel Dean
When James Pierre left earlier in the day to join the Minnesota Vikings, it was clear that the Steelers would have to hit the open market to find a solution at the position. Eric Stokes, who was a free agent target that Patrick Graham could have brought with him to Pittsburgh, opted to stay in Vegas, so the Steelers went south and are set to bring in Dean.
Some may question the decsion to bring in a 29-year-old corner who has had nagging injury concerns, but Dean is coming off a career year in Tampa Bay. He allowed under a 50% completion percentage, a passer rating of 63.1, and recorded a career high three interceptions. To learn more about Dean, I spoke with Evan Winter of A to Z Sports Tampa Bay.
What are the Steelers getting from Jamel Dean
“Jamel Dean is a very intriuging player at this point in his career. He’s a big, fast corner who is at his best in man coverage and he can hang with pretty much any reciever in the league. So why would the Bucs let him walk, you ask? Well, it’s pretty easy: injuries. Dean has never played a full season in his NFL career and misses chunks of time every year with some kind of nagging injury.”
“He’s never suffered anything extensive, but he’s missed multiple games on top of exiting games early on a regular basis. Still, Dean is coming off the best year of his career after logging three picks and and quarterbacks averaged a league-worst 46.9 QB rating when targeting him (min. 443 coverage snaps). If he can stay healthy, the Steelers are getting a very good corner at probably a pretty decent price.” -Winter
The bigger question with the Steelers is, what does this mean for Jalen Ramsey? Well, the move adds clarity.
Steelers now have two clear options with Jalen Ramsey
Should the Steelers decide that they want to keep Jalen Ramsey, he can stay as their full-time free safety or even play nickel for them. No longer would he be tasked with playing as a true boundary, man coverage defender.
However, this signing could also allow the Steelers to move off of Ramsey. He has a cap hit close to $20 million for 2026, and he’s not exactly a fit in Patrick Graham’s scheme. Either way, you can’t lose if you’re the Steelers. You keep Ramsey and have a solid trio of defensive backs, or you move on, save money, and find another safety/nickel hybrid via trade or the NFL Draft.
Final Grade: B+
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