Steelers Now
UNITY TWP, Pa. — The 28-14 outcome on the scoreboard didn’t tell the whole story. But it told enough of one to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ powers that be.
Having been on the wrong side of an AFC Wild Card playoff beatdown against the Baltimore Ravens in January, the Steelers’ locker room underwent a uncharacterisitcally seismic shift this offseason. General manager Omar Khan has made it crystal-clear that the sour home stretch a season ago can’t happen again.
“The way we ended last year wasn’t good enough,” Khan said Wednesday after the team arrived at St. Vincent College for training camp. “We talked about change having to happen. I know people maybe expected change sooner than later, but change doesn’t always happen at the pace everybody expects.”
Or in the capacity that everybody expects.
Pittsburgh turned plenty of heads trading for Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith earlier this month, lengthening a string of team-altering moves since its sizable 28-14 defeat against Lamar Jackson’s Ravens. The Steelers also traded for standout receiver DK Metcalf, shipped off the unpredictable George Pickens and signed future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
“I’m really excited about this, and maybe, in a lot of ways, from that perspective, this is new territory for us,” Tomlin said. “But, oftentimes, our interest in people is dependent upon relationships. And so they might be new to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but most of the guys we’ve acquired, we’ve had some intimate knowledge of them as individuals and as players and (have) really liked them at earlier portions of their career.”
Ramsey, a three-time first-team Associated Press All-Pro, could be called upon to play in different spots in the secondary. Smith posted career-bests with 88 receptions for 884 yards and eight touchdowns last season. He sports a similar sort of do-everything skillset as a pass-catcher.
“You guys have heard me several times talk about how important position flexibility is for me, and that’s what those guys are,” Khan said. “Those guys are both Pro Bowl players that, in my opinion — in our opinion — can line up in different places on the field and do some exciting things.”
Ramsey has the adaptability Khan values. The 10th-year pro was both the No. 1 safety and cornerback on the Steelers’ draft board in 2016. Depending on how things shake out, Ramsey can take over at the spot vacated by Minkah Fitzpatrick, who was sent to Miami in the swap. Or he could line up as a perimeter coverman. Or in the slot.
“He’s a football player first and positional player second,” Tomlin said. “His tape has done nothing but solidify that perspective. … Over the course of his career, you’ve seen him do a variety of things, play inside and play out, all the components of the game.”
The same goes for Smith, who will be another piece of the Steelers’ passing game alongside Pat Freiermuth, the team’s leading returning receiver. Rodgers will also look toward Calvin Austin III, Roman...
