Ramsey’s Warning Shot: Steelers New CB Declares ‘I’ll Be Impacting Plays—or There’s No Pay!’

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers brought in superstar defensive back Jalen Ramsey to become the turnover creator the defense missed in the secondary last season. The big question surrounding Ramsey since his acquisition is where on the field will he play? The shutdown All-Pro corner has experience all over the secondary, but has made his living as an outside defensive back who can suffocate opposing wide receivers.

The question of his position was on everyone’s mind as the Steelers arrived at Saint Vincent College for training camp. In Ramsey’s first appearance in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, he was asked twice about where he expects to play. At first he gave a general answer of just wanting to play football when asked by ESPN’s Brooke Pryor. When Steelers On SI publisher Noah Strackbein asked Ramsey if he had any desire to play safety, the Pro Bowl corner opened up a bit more.

“I just want to play football,” he said. “I don’t care where I’m at: corner, safety, slot. But at the same time i dont think im gettting paid what im getting paid to not be in a position to affect the game, to be in certain spots. I’ll just say that.”

Ramsey seemed to be trying to his best to stay on course when asked twice about where he’ll play. The Steelers obviously have some plans in mind for Ramsey, but neither side is ready to reveal all of the details just yet.

What’s certain now is that the Steelers expect this defensive unit to be elite. The acquisition of Ramsey was aimed toward that goal. The extension given to T.J. Watt, now the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL, was specifically aimed toward that goal. Combine those two superstars with the defensive line combination of Cam Heyward, Derrick Harmon and Keeanu Benton and secondary contributors like Joey Porter Jr, Darius Slay and DeShon Elliott, and this is a group that is expected to be a top-5 team in multiple categories.

Ramsey’s play will be crucial toward achieving that. Last year with the Miami Dolphins, he recorded two interceptions and defended 11 passes. He also made 60 tackles, including one sack and 39 individual tackles, six tackles for loss and four QB hits. In his career, he's a four-time All Pro and eight-time Pro Bowler.