Steelers' secondary receives little praise in league-wide rankings despite the additions of Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay
The Pittsburgh Steelers believe they have finally assembled a secondary that can win a Super Bowl. Would having Minkah Fitzpatrick, or a different free safety, help, probably… But in their mind, that's what Jalen Ramsey is for. PFF isn't as sold, however… Steelers rank 16th in PFF Secondary rankings The trade for Jalen Ramsey brings a true […]
The Pittsburgh Steelers believe they have finally assembled a secondary that can win a Super Bowl.
Would having Minkah Fitzpatrick, or a different free safety, help, probably… But in their mind, that's what Jalen Ramsey is for.
PFF isn't as sold, however…
Steelers rank 16th in PFF Secondary rankings
The trade for Jalen Ramsey brings a true superstar to Pittsburgh’s secondary, but the loss of Minkah Fitzpatrick leaves a massive void at safety. DeShon Elliott is coming off his best season with a 71.1 grade, though it’s his only year grading above 70.0. Juan Thornhill, another offseason addition, has already shown signs of decline. The cornerback group, led by Ramsey, Darius Slay and Joey Porter Jr., should be a strength, but the secondary overall leans heavily on aging veterans with little young talent to provide a spark.
– John Kosko, PFF
Here's the thing: the Steelers view Jalen Ramsey as much more than a CB. Sure, if you're grading purely on him being a CB, I can see how you land on the secondary at 16th.
But Jalen Ramsey is going to play outside corner, he's going to line up over tight ends, he's going to play slot corner or nickel back, and who's to say the team won't deploy him at free safety the way they did with Patrick Peterson a few years back?
DeShon Elliott is coming of his best year in the league in his mid-20s, and Joey Porter Jr. is looking to take a superstar step in year three. Would you like it if Darius Slay were a little younger or if the team had a more proven option than Juan Thornhill at free safety? Obviously.
But it is very hard to argue that this team, as presently constructed with their resumes, doesn't have one of, if not the best CB trio in the league. Plus, I think few people realize how good DeShon Elliott was last year…
We'll see if Pittsburgh can prove all the national narratives wrong soon enough.
Agent of former Pittsburgh Steelers RB Najee Harris confirms he suffered eye injury in 4th of July fireworks explosion
NFL players and 4th of July don’t have the cleanest of history. Former New York Giants pass rusher Jason Pierre-Paul famously lost part of his hand in a fireworks incident years ago. And while thankfully, Najee Harris’ injury wasn’t nearly as bad, his agent confirmed there was an incident on July 4th… Najee Harris suffers […]
