{"id":238474,"date":"2025-07-02T11:00:26","date_gmt":"2025-07-02T15:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=238474"},"modified":"2025-07-01T20:17:12","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T00:17:12","slug":"jalen-ramsey-steelers-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/07\/02\/jalen-ramsey-steelers-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"How Jalen Ramsey Made It to the Steelers For 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 2019, the Los Angeles Rams took a flyer on the often boisterous\u2014<\/span>but never inadequate<\/span><\/i>\u2014Jalen Ramsey. He remained with the team for the next three years, collecting two First Team All-Pro selections, three Pro Bowls, a Lombardi trophy, and a 5-year\/$100M contract. All in a day\u2019s work. <\/span><\/p>\n

The sweetest of his stint came atop a parade float, standing beside steadfast defenders Von Miller and Aaron Donald; both, at one point or another, considered the best in their position. In hindsight, it\u2019s surreal to think all three repped that royal blue, but it\u2019s true. What General Manager Les Snead and head coach Sean McVay<\/a> concocted was a gritty, well-decorated group of vets, infused with a confidence <\/span>irreproducible<\/span>. It was like watching a Clint Eastwood movie with a cast made up of only Clint Eastwoods.<\/span><\/p>\n

But after that last piece of confetti fell, the Rams\u2019 Super Bowl roster disintegrated. The following season saw key losses like Von Miller, Odell Beckham Jr. (<\/span>having suffered a torn ACL<\/a>)<\/span><\/i>, and a myriad of others plagued with injuries, making an already vulnerable team plain unwatchable.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Jalen
New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson (5) runs with the ball as he tries to find a way past Miami Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey (5), Sunday January 5, 2025, in East Rutherford.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jalen Ramsey Steelers 2025: Can Mike Tomlin Revive Him?<\/h2>\n

The Rams Implode\u2014and Ramsey Moves On<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Ramsey played all 17 games in the 2022 season, but the team struggled to find success. Afterward, the Rams traded him to the Miami Dolphins for tight end Hunter Long and a 2023 third-round pick. The Rams\u2019 ceremonial \u201ccleaning of house\u201d gave optimism to a Dolphins team looking to make a push\u2014it just never came to fruition.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Miami Mayhem: A Misfit Piece in a Shaky Puzzle<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The alarming, persistent injuries of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa<\/a>, combined with what seemed to be a full-on mutiny of indolence towards the backend of a mediocre 2024 year, saw but one singular Wild Card appearance during Ramsey\u2019s tenure. Additionally, his attitude had reverted back to the apathetic all-star he\u2019d been in Jacksonville, albeit meriting a lackluster showing of accolades.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Thinking back on those 3<\/span>\u00bd years with the Jaguars, Ramsey acting as the impassioned dilettante to a starving franchise\u2019s rebrand, \u201c<\/span>Sacksonville,<\/span><\/i>\u201d<\/span> he\u2019d really only been content when his personal aspirations were met. The years following the 2017 AFC Championship got complicated as the Jaguars managed only 11 wins combined over two seasons. When the team wasn\u2019t winning, then at least he\u2019d have his trophies to fall back on. But when Ramsey felt the team was holding him back? Volatility.<\/span><\/p>\n

It was easier in Los Angeles being surrounded by Donald and Miller. Ramsey was expected to perform, but he didn\u2019t have to be the marquee name for a defensive-lead squad. In fact, for as good as that 2020\u20132021 Rams D was, they were supremely overshadowed by standout seasons from quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Cooper Kupp. Yes, Ramsey was essential to winning, but are you really going to outmuscle Aaron Donald for captainship? Not in the weight room. Not out at a bar. The man is built like the Incredible Hulk, and I don\u2019t think that\u2019s an overstatement.<\/span><\/p>\n

When Ramsey arrived in Miami, the team put him in charge of a dysfunctional squad that relied on a high-octane offense while hoping the defense could just hold on. But that strategy repeatedly fell apart. Now, the Steelers have acquired Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith in exchange for Minkah Fitzpatrick and a 2027 fifth-round pick.<\/p>\n

So, what now?<\/span><\/p>\n

A Steeler Gamble<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Well, Jalen Ramsey has always been a competitor. When right, he can still operate as one of the league\u2019s sharpest corners. The question is, is Pittsburgh right for him?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Post-Roethlisberger, Tomlin has led with a defensive-first mindset. Whether that be his natural inclination or because Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky were leading the offense is entirely up to the reader. But if the Steelers believe Ramsey can offer more than Fitzpatrick, and the team can take a much-needed step forward with the addition of Aaron Rodgers, then the Steelers have the potential of being <\/span>danger-Russ<\/span><\/i>. Sorry, too soon?<\/span><\/p>\n

The best version of Jalen Ramsey is a brilliant defensive talent, pieced alongside a group of relentless teammates. When the Jaguars made their first conference championship in 18 years? That was the case. When the Rams won their first Super Bowl in 22 years? The same. We\u2019ll wait to see just how motivated Ramsey is to add to his already highly touted resume. The Jalen Ramsey, Steelers 2025 season marks a crucial turning point for both parties.<\/span><\/p>\n

Main Photo: Kevin R. Wexler – Imagn Images<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In 2019, the Los Angeles Rams took a flyer on the often boisterous\u2014but never inadequate\u2014Jalen Ramsey. He remained with the team for the next three years, collecting two First Team All-Pro selections, three Pro Bowls, a Lombardi trophy, and a 5-year\/$100M contract. All in a day\u2019s work. The sweetest of his stint came atop a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5582,"featured_media":231365,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9,4,36],"tags":[730,40,246],"class_list":["post-238474","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-steelers","category-dolphins","category-nfl-news","tag-jalen-ramsey","tag-nfl","tag-nfl-news"],"modified_by":"David Latham, Managing Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238474","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5582"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=238474"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238474\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":238489,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238474\/revisions\/238489"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/231365"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=238474"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=238474"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=238474"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}