Jalen Ramsey was one of several players that the Pittsburgh Steelers added to their team this offseason. The hope was that Ramsey, along with Darius Slay and Joey Porter Jr., would give the Steelers an elite trio at corner. However, that didn’t happen. Ramsey plays safety now. Teryl Austin thinks that move has helped stabilize the Steelers’ defense, though.
“I think he’s made an impact for us because he’s steadied us in terms of the safety position, being able to be there and communication and getting all that stuff together,” Austin said Thursday via transcripts provided by the team. “You hear it from one voice.
“I think when we were moving [Ramsey] around earlier in the year, [it] kind of got a little disjointed, but I think that’s smoothed out, and I like the direction we are going that way. I see [fewer] guys wondering what’s going on. ‘Hey, where’s the call? Who is making this call?’ I see more of, ‘Okay, here is what we got, let’s move.’”
Ramsey got some work at safety in the offseason and intermittently during the first half of this season. However, he fully transitioned to safety in Week 9 against the Indianapolis Colts. That move instantly boosted the Steelers’ defense. They beat the Colts, who were the best team in the league at the time.
Since then, Ramsey has stuck at safety. Part of the reason why he made the move was because of the Steelers’ injuries at the position. They lost DeShon Elliott to a knee injury in Week 8. Jabrill Peppers and Chuck Clark also missed Week 9. At that point, the Steelers had to play Ramsey at safety.
Austin’s observation has been apparent on the field, too. The Steelers’ secondary had plenty of issues during the first half of the season. That included miscommunication. Players were too often in the wrong spot.
That’s been less of an issue since Ramsey started playing safety exclusively, though. The Steelers’ pass defense has shored up. Take their two games against the Cincinnati Bengals, for example. In their first meeting, with Ramsey at cornerback, they got lit up by Joe Flacco for 342 yards. However, in their second game against the Bengals, with Ramsey at safety, Flacco only threw for 199 yards.
Ramsey hasn’t played the chess piece role that the Steelers initially envisioned him in, but he’s still been a valuable piece of their defense. That unit still isn’t perfect, but Ramsey has helped it improve in some areas. Hopefully, that continues as the postseason nears.
