Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin has praised Jalen Ramsey's transition to safety for reducing miscommunication in the secondary. The move, prompted by injuries, has helped steady the defense since Week 9. Austin noted fewer instances of players being out of position.
The Pittsburgh Steelers added Jalen Ramsey during the offseason, initially envisioning him as part of an elite cornerback trio alongside Darius Slay and Joey Porter Jr. However, injuries at safety forced a positional shift for Ramsey, who began playing the role intermittently before fully transitioning in Week 9 against the Indianapolis Colts.
That game marked a turning point, as the Steelers defeated the Colts, then considered the league's top team. The change came amid a rash of injuries: DeShon Elliott suffered a knee injury in Week 8, while Jabrill Peppers and Chuck Clark missed the Week 9 matchup. Ramsey's presence at safety has since provided a consistent voice in the secondary, addressing earlier issues of disjointed play and miscommunication.
'I think he’s made an impact for us because he’s steadied us in terms of the safety position, being able to be there and communication and getting all that stuff together,' Austin said. 'You hear it from one voice. I think when we were moving [Ramsey] around earlier in the year, [it] kind of got a little disjointed, but I think that’s smoothed out, and I like the direction we are going that way. I see [fewer] guys wondering what’s going on. “Hey, where’s the call? Who is making this call?” I see more of, “Okay, here is what we got, let’s move.”'
The improvement is evident in matchups against the Cincinnati Bengals. In the first game, with Ramsey at cornerback, Joe Flacco threw for 342 yards. In the rematch, playing safety, Ramsey helped limit Flacco to 199 yards. While the Steelers' defense remains imperfect, Ramsey's role has bolstered the pass defense as the postseason approaches.
