Former NFL CB Can ‘Assure’ Steelers’ Protection Is Higher With Jalen Ramsey Than Minkah Fitzpatrick

After a disastrous end to the 2024 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t been shy about shaking up their roster this offseason. The latest in that series of moves involved trading Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith. The move has drawn mixed reviews so far. Former NFL CB Asante Samuel Sr. thinks it makes the Steelers better defensively.

“If the Steelers’ defense was ranked 12th in total defense, with almost no production from Minkah Fitzpatrick last season, I know, and I guarantee Jalen Ramsey will make this defense a better defense,” Asante said on Say What Needs To Be Said on Monday.

Fitzpatrick’s lack of production was a big storyline last year. After grabbing a league-leading six interceptions in 2022, Fitzpatrick couldn’t replicate the same production over the last two years, getting just one during that span. While he still brings value and is certainly still one of the better players at his position, the lack of production was enough for Pittsburgh to pull the plug.

It’s not as easy as simply inserting Ramsey into the lineup, though. Pittsburgh has a lot of depth across the secondary, both at cornerback and safety. That is a good problem to have. But it leads to questions about whether Ramsey might have to spend some time at safety.

Samuel thinks he might be better in that spot than Fitzpatrick if he does. And he doesn’t understand why the Dolphins would have made such a move.

“To me, it doesn’t make sense,” Samuel said. “Because you [Dolphins] traded for another safety [Fitzpatrick], when Jalen Ramsey could easily be moved to safety and be way more productive than the person you just traded for.”

In terms of production, Ramsey might be a little better than Fitzpatrick. Over the last two years, Ramsey has five interceptions and 16 passes defended, which clearly surpasses Fitzpatrick’s numbers. However, while Ramsey does play with physicality, he isn’t as strong against the run as Fitzpatrick is. The two also play different positions, so it’s hard to truly compare them until we see Ramsey at safety.

For what it’s worth, Samuel isn’t the only former defensive back who thinks Ramsey can make the transition. Former Steeler Rod Woodson also thinks Ramsey can make the move.

With Jalen Ramsey now in the fold, there are a ton of big names that have joined the Steelers this offseason. From Ramsey and Darius Slay on the defense to DK Metcalf and Aaron Rodgers on the offense, Pittsburgh has plenty of star power in the building. That’s led to some comparisons to the “Dream Team” Philadelphia Eagles back in 2011. That roster had plenty of stars, but couldn’t achieve anything notable. A member of that roster, Samuel has higher expectations for the Steelers this year.

“I’m comparing the Steelers’ trades and signings the same way that the Eagles went out and did their big one,” Samuel said. “They went out and got all the big-name players to hopefully make this team a Super Bowl-caliber team. But the difference is, we wasn’t established. They was trying to figure out the coaching tree for the Eagles, when the Steelers are already established, the scheme has been there for a long time.”

Comparing them to the Eagles back then, the Steelers have more stability in their favor. There are also longtime stalwarts in Cam Heyward and T.J. Watt on the unit. However, it may take some time for things to gel. For one, Ramsey, Slay, and Juan Thornhill are all key players this year, and they’re all new to the defense. Beanie Bishop Jr. also claims there will be some significant differences in the defense going forward after the unit struggled to end the 2025 season.

Pittsburgh is trying to retool and compete simultaneously, which has led to its current situation. Samuel believes the defense will be better with Ramsey. He also thinks they have more of a chance than his “Dream Team” Eagles. That’s music to the ears of Steelers fans, but only time will tell if he’s right.