Much is made of what the Pittsburgh Steelers have done on the offensive side of the ball. Given the attention that high-flying, high-scoring attacks get, that makes plenty of sense. It’s what the club did on the opposite end, however, that could also make a difference.
One outlet certainly tends to agree. In a story for Pro Football Focus, Dalton Wasserman highlighted each AFC team’s best offseason move. For Pittsburgh, Wasserman believes “acquiring new cornerbacks” takes the cake.
Slay & Ramsey Additions Poised to Help Steelers’ 2025 Secondary
According to Wasserman, adding players like Darius Slay and Jalen Ramsey was much-needed.
“Most of the Steelers’ defense played at a high level last season,” Wasserman wrote. “The lone exception was a cornerback unit that ranked 30th in the NFL in PFF coverage grade. They did well to fix that, acquiring a couple of outstanding veterans. Former Eagle Darius Slay earned a 75.5 PFF coverage grade that ranked 16th in the NFL last season. Recent trade acquisition Jalen Ramsey recorded the 11th-best PFF overall grade among qualified cornerbacks in his final season in Miami. If both of these moves pan out, the Steelers could have the best defense in the NFL this season.”
Despite their age, both players remain formidable options in the secondary.
Slay, who’s set to enter year 13 in the NFL, is coming off a productive campaign with the Philadelphia Eagles. In 14 regular-season games, the six-time Pro Bowler allowed a 54.7 completion percentage and 81.9 passer rating in coverage. He also had a low 3.9% missed tackle rate. Even at 34 years old, it’s hard to count on him falling off until it actually happens.
Ramsey, younger than Slay at 30, will be 31 partway through this season. The former No. 5 overall draft pick, like Slay, snapped his streak of consecutive Pro Bowls made in 2024-25. It wasn’t for a lack of effort, though, as Ramsey played in all 17 regular-season games and surrendered 6.5 yards per target. According to Pro Football Focus, he was the No. 10-ranked cornerback in run defense grade and 19th in pass rush grade.
Pittsburgh Facing Pressure to Justify Decision to Move Forward Without Minkah Fitzpatrick
It isn’t like loading up at cornerback (and landing tight end Jonnu Smith) came without repercussions. While the Slay acquisition didn’t directly lead to star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick getting traded, it did help the Steelers feel more comfortable about the secondary without him. Having two legendary corners to pair with young standout Joey Porter Jr. makes a difference.
It’s also about how these pieces fit together. Since making more considerable cameos in the slot back in 2018 and 2019, Slay has almost exclusively been a boundary cornerback. Per PFF, Porter has 1,510 career snaps outside as opposed to just 116 in the slot. Those two should give the defensive backfield a solid base from which to operate.
Ramsey, on the other hand, logged 325 slot reps in 2021, 213 in 2022 and 185 this past season. Not only can he be a nickel option, but there’s a case for him being the best one on the roster. Additionally, he can rotate in for safety looks as needed. The human chess piece nature of Ramsey helps mitigate the loss of Fitzpatrick.
With that hypothetical mitigation, though, comes expectation. The Steelers didn’t part with a multi-time All-Pro and Pro Bowler as a lateral move – they did it to get better. Smith must be accounted for on offense, but most of the benefits here should be felt by a star-studded cornerback group.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post ‘Best Offseason Decision’ Should Raise Steelers’ Ceiling in 2025 appeared first on Heavy Sports.