The Steelers agreed to acquired cornerback Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith from the Miami Dolphins in exchange for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and a swap of draft picks in 2027.
Ramsey, 30, has long been considered one of the best corners in the game since entering the NFL in 2016 as the fifth-overall pick in the NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The 6-foot-1, 208-pound three-time All-Pro also gives the Steelers options across the back end of their defense.
Ramsey played 185 snaps in the slot for the Dolphins in 2024 while aligning outside 728 times. He also has the size, speed, ball skills and tackling ability to perhaps shift to free safety at some point in his career.
A 7-time Pro Bowl player, Ramsey has 24 career interceptions to go along with 108 pass breakups in his nine NFL seasons.
His addition gives the Steelers the option of playing Ramsey as their slot cornerback with Joey Porter Jr. and Darius Slay on the outside. Juan Thornhill and DeShon Elliott would then be at the safety spots.
But, Ramsey also has played 137 defensive snaps over the course of his career at free safety, as well.
In 2024, Ramsey allowed just 44 receptions on 71 targets on throws into his coverage, a completion percentage of 62.0 percent. Opposing quarterbacks posted just an 83.2 passer rating when targeting Ramsey in coverage.
He's also an effective when blitzing. Last season, Miami blitzed him 25 times, mostly out of the slot, and he recorded a sack, four quarterback hurries, three knockdowns and also batted down three passes.
Smith is an interesting addition in that he has a long history of working with Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.
In two seasons in Tennessee (2019 and 2020), Smith caught 35 and 41 passes. Those went for a combined 887 yards and 11 touchdowns, with eight of the touchdowns coming in 2020.
In 2023 in Atlanta, Smith caught 50 passes for 582 yards and three scores despite the presence of Kyle Pitts, who also caught 53 passes for 667 yards and three scores.
Last season in Miami, Smith, who turns 30 in August, had his best season, earning Pro Bowl honors by catching 88 passes for 884 yards and eight touchdowns.
• Dale Lolley is co-host of "SNR Drive" on Steelers Nation Radio. Subscribe to the podcast here: Apple Podcast | iHeart Podcast Pittonline@iheartmedia.com
A third-round pick of the Titans in 2017 out of Florida International, the Philadelphia native is an athletic move tight end who, at 6-foot-3, 248 pounds, has the ability to be a good blocker, especially in zone blocking schemes where his athleticism is a factor. But he is a matchup issue for opposing defenses.
At the NFL Scouting Combine in 2017, he ran a 4.62-second 40-yard dash while also posting a vertical jump of 38 inches and a standing broad jump of 10-feet, 7-inches, all of which are excellent for a tight end.
Combined with a group that already includes Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington and Connor Heyward, Smith gives the Steelers plenty of options at the tight end position.
The Steelers utilized a two-tight end package 25.25 percent of the time in 2024, which ranked as the 12th-most in the NFL. The Raiders utilized that grouping 35.5 percent of the time to lead the league, while the Chiefs, Lions, Texans and Ravens rounded out the top five in terms of use of 12 personnel.
With the addition of Smith, the Steelers figure to use that package at a much higher rate, lessening the need for additional wide receivers since there are just two on the field in a 12-personnel package.
New Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers also has a long history of using tight ends extensively throughout his 20-year NFL career.
The addition of Smith clearly shows the Steelers want to utilize the middle of the field as a target in the passing game.
