The Pittsburgh Steelers’ blockbuster trade for Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith in return for Minkah Fitzpatrick has garnered mixed reviews. However, former Steelers safety Ryan Clark loves the team’s aggressiveness.
Clark, who has questioned head coach Mike Tomlin and the Steelers for some of their offseason moves, loves the pivot to make a big swing for Ramsey.
In particular, Clark praised Steelers general manager Omar Khan for the big swing. Days later, Khan landed a three-year extension on his current contract.
“I’ll give Steelers’ General Manager Omar Khan this… he is trying to effing win! I respect dude so much. Waited his turn, watched the groceries get made one way for a long time, & came in with new & fresh ideas. That’s hard to do! I love the aggression from a New Orleans guy!” Clark wrote on X.
Ramsey, who has played mostly outside and slot cornerback in his career, could make a major move to safety late in his career. The Steelers plan to play Ramsey at outside cornerback, slot cornerback, and safety, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
The Steelers reportedly saw some shades of Rod Woodson in Ramsey’s game, which is part of why they traded for him. Woodson played his first 12 NFL seasons at cornerback before switching to safety, becoming an All-Pro at that position.
“This is a case-by-case situation where a player like Jalen Ramsey happened to be available where they feel like he gives them more flexibility than what they had with Minkah Fitzpatrick,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said on Get Up. “He can play slot cornerback, can play safety, if you need him to do that. They see shades of Rod Woodson.”
In the past, Ramsey has said that he would move to safety later in his career if asked and believes that he can thrive defensively in that role.
“I wouldn’t have any problems moving to safety,” Ramsey said back in 2021.
Ramsey’s versatility will allow the Steelers to have Joey Porter Jr., Darius Slay, and the multiple-time All-Pro to all be on the field simultaneously in a way they could not execute beforehand.
