As the old adage with trades go, you have to give up something to get something.
The Pittsburgh Steelers certainly paid a premium for Jalen Ramsey, sending Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Miami Dolphins in order to acquire Ramsey and Jonnu Smith. Moving on from Fitzpatrick had to be difficult, but the Steelers clearly value what they received, giving Ramsey a $1.5 million raise ($26.6 million salary for 2025) and Smith a contract extension for up to $12 million.
Fitzpatrick carried a cap hit of $22.3 million for this season prior to the trade, and the Steelers couldn’t afford the final two years of his contract without moving on from other players.
Enter the Steelers conundrum at safety. Pittsburgh lost a three-time first-team All-Pro safety in Fitzpatrick, but have three starting cornerbacks in Ramsey, Darius Slay and Joey Porter Jr. The Steelers also signed Juan Thornhill at safety this offseason, but have a major void to fill with the loss of Fitzpatrick.
So, what are the Steelers’ in-house options at safety? Let’s take a look at a few possibilities.
Which cornerback moves to safety?
If the Steelers want to get all three of their cornerbacks on the field, Ramsey will have to be the one that moves to safety. Darius Slay is a 34-year-old who’s biggest strength is at outside cornerback in a base or nickel defense. Joey Porter Jr. played boundary cornerback at Penn State and has continued this role in Pittsburgh, so moving him inside or to safety isn’t an option. Porter is penalty prone, too, needing to limit the grabbing in coverage.
Ramsey would be the logical move to play safety, given his flexibility to play multiple positions in the defense. Ramsey could play the slot or play in one of the safety spots, especially as a way to keep all three cornerbacks on the field at once. Ramsey doesn’t have to strictly play boundary cornerback in Teryl Austin’s defense, as he can play safety in certain packages with Thornhill.
Grading Steelers-Dolphins blockbuster trade: Jalen Ramsey, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Jonnu Smith all dealt
John Breech
What if Ramsey plays slot corner?
If the Steelers decide to have Ramsey play the majority of his snaps in the slot, that’s a stretch for the defense with the middle of the field being more prevalent than ever before. Outside cornerbacks get the big contracts, but slot cornerbacks have the hardest job and are usually the better players in coverage. That title would go to Ramsey, so who plays safety?
Thornhill will have one of those starting jobs, and Ramsey’s former teammate in Miami — DeShon Elliott — would be the front runner for the other starting job. Miles Killebrew would also be under consideration for the other starting job, one that will play itself out in training camp.
External options?
My CBS Sports colleague John Breech put out a list of potential free agent options for the Steelers, and there are several players to consider here. Justin Simmons is the top free agent safety available and will have his options come July when training camp starts. Simmons is an older safety, but the Steelers have already doubled down there with Slay and Ramsey.
Julian Blackmon and Marcus Williams are also available amongst the higher-profile names. Jordan Whitehead, Chuck Clark and Quandre Diggs are also available.
The Steelers will have their pick here, as the free agent safety market is still deep.
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Author: Jeff Kerr
June 30, 2025 | 4:20 pm
