The Pittsburgh Steelers are leaving no room for chance in 2025, trading for cornerback Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith ahead of training camp. But the byproduct of those reinforcements coming in will likely mean others get pushed out into reserve roles.
On July 8, The Athletic’s Steelers correspondent Mike DeFabo identified the competition in the secondary as the “most interesting” training camp battle this summer. Even if it’s not much of a “position battle,” on paper.
“It’s not exactly a position battle, but there are questions about how the secondary evolves with Jalen Ramsey in the fold and Minkah Fitzpatrick gone,” the beat reporter noted. “Before the big late-June trade that brought Ramsey to Pittsburgh, Joey Porter Jr. and Darius Slay were expected to be the starting outside corners in the base defense.”
“Will Ramsey now take Slay’s spot in this package?” DeFabo pondered. “Or will the Steelers get creative and play Ramsey at safety?”
“The other important part of this discussion is that the Steelers are in sub-packages about 80 percent of the time,” he continued. “Ramsey would be the most likely candidate to play in the slot, which would give the Steelers a chance to play all three corners at the same time.”
The main loser in all this mixing and matching? Second-year fan favorite Beanie Bishop Jr., who appeared destined to reclaim his starting role in the slot before this trade.
There’s Only 1 Road Where Beanie Bishop Jr. Starts If Everyone Is Healthy, & Steelers Don’t Seem Interested in It
Realistically, there are two paths to playing time for Bishop, outside of the rotational reserve role that he was forced into last season.
The first is injury. Surely, someone will eventually get hurt within the Steelers’ secondary, and that could reopen the door for Bishop.
Beyond that, there’s only one road that leads to Bishop starting in 2025, and Pittsburgh sort of closed the door on it just after the Ramsey trade.
There was a small chance that Ramsey could switch to safety with the Steelers, being that he’s a versatile DB who is getting older at age 30. However, immediately after the trade, Pittsburgh insider Mark Kaboly relayed a message from the organization that “they see Jalen Ramsey as an outside corner, slot corner, AND he can take some snaps at safety.”
Later, Kaboly also told readers that he expects the Steelers to pursue a third safety in free agency before Week 1.
This all ties back into how DeFabo concluded his statement about the Steelers’ most interesting training camp battle.
“Ramsey would be the most likely candidate to play in the slot, which would give the Steelers a chance to play all three corners at the same time,” he said. This seems to be the most likely arrangement of Porter, Slay and Ramsey — especially if they sign another veteran safety — and that would also mean Bishop’s demotion from a starting role.
Steelers’ 53-Man Roster Competition at Cornerback Just Got a Whole Lot More Difficult Ahead of Training Camp
Bishop should still make the 53-man roster, assuming he doesn’t complain about being passed over for a veteran once again. The same cannot be said for other members of the secondary.
Following the Ramsey trade, several players are now on the roster bubble when they didn’t appear to be a few weeks ago.
Those CBs are Brandin Echols, Cory Trice Jr., and rookie draft pick Donte Kent. Not to mention guys like James Pierre, D’Shawn Jamison, Quindell Johnson, Cameron McCutcheon and Kyler McMichael who were already fighting for a spot.
Assuming everyone is healthy at the roster cutdown, Bishop would join the starting trio to lock up four jobs. Then you’d have one or two backup roles up for grabs, with at least eight cornerbacks vying for them.
The ripple effects of a blockbuster trade.
