Steelers Now
UNITY TWP, Pa. — Whenever he dresses in a Pittsburgh Steelers uniform, Jalen Ramsey feels that he’s wearing the threads of a vaunted NFL franchise for once. It’s possible he was digging at his former team, the Miami Dolphins, by expressing that sentiment.
Ramsey arrived in Pittsburgh via a trade earlier this month that sent fellow three-time Associated Press All-Pro Minkah Fitzpatrick south. Standing in front of a horde of media members at St. Vincent College on Wednesday, he praised his new crew, implying he’s in a much better place than he was in South Beach for the past two seasons.
“I’m excited for everything that has to do with the organization,” Ramsey said outside Rooney Hall. “This is a storied franchise. Obviously, I won a Super Bowl and loved my time with the L.A. Rams, but I can’t necessarily say that I’ve played for a storied franchise like this yet, so this is very exciting for me. I’m just embracing all of it.”
Ramsey’s relationship with the Dolphins deteriorated over time, highlighted by Miami head coach Mike McDaniel letting everyone know he wasn’t keeping up to date on the standout coverman’s trade talks earlier this offseason.
Part of the appeal of landing in Pittsburgh, which owns six Lombardi Trophies, is being under the direction of Mike Tomlin, a head coach who has a soft spot for Ramsey’s side of the ball. McDaniel is known for his work with the opposite facet.
“I think I’ve been on record saying that my favorite coach — or one of my favorite coaches — in the NFL was Raheem (Morris, who’s) out in Atlanta,” Ramsey said. “Tomlin is his guy. Like, he raves about him, so obviously I knew he was a defensive guy, defensive-minded DB guy, so that makes this all the more attractive.”
Ramsey added that he and Tomlin have had conversations before, dating back to before Ramsey was drafted fifth overall in 2016. The two were part of a pre-draft dinner in Tallahassee, one in which the team told him it knew it wouldn’t be able to select him. Ramsey said there’s been a mutual respect since.
Ramsey was part of the 2017 Jacksonville Jaguars team that cut short a promising title opportunity for the Steelers in the divisional round of the playoffs. He had four total tackles in that clash, which springboarded the Jaguars into the AFC Championship game. He won’t talk about how he broke Steelers’ fans’ hearts, however.
“I can’t talk about the past. Everything is different,” Ramsey said. “I’m excited about what we have going on here, the potential of this team.”
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Jalen Ramsey Says He’s Never Played for ‘Historic Franchise’ Like Steelers
