Jalen Ramsey is the chess piece on the Steelers’ defense, and that’s not an easy task. Ramsey has All-Pro chops at cornerback, but after trading Minkah Fitzpatrick for Ramsey and TE Jonnu Smith, the Steelers are expecting him to take on a variety of roles in their secondary this year. Mike Tomlin is already impressed with the way Ramsey is handling such a versatile assignment.

“Jalen Ramsey is an example, I’ve been blown away by his versatility, man, his football intellect,” Tomlin said on The Pivot Podcast in an episode that posted Sunday. “Like, you can not put this guy in a position that he’s not on the details. And you know how sometimes communication tells you everything. Man, we’re in our first walkthrough, and he’s moving from free safety to nickel to outside corner, and his communication is not lacking in any way.”

“We know his physical talent. But this guy’s football intellect is on the ceiling.”

It’s no surprise that communication is one of the first things Tomlin mentions. That was a massive issue for the Steelers last year, especially toward the end of the season and in the secondary. The Steelers have made fixing it a priority this offseason.

For what it’s worth, that improvement showed in the Steelers’ preseason win Saturday night in Jacksonville. There were some occasional breakdowns, which is normal for a preseason game, especially the opener. However, the secondary looked good, and it really showed the depth Pittsburgh has behind Jalen Ramsey, who did not play against the Jaguars. Juan Thornhill made his presence felt early, and Brandin Echols had a tackle for a loss as well as a pass breakup.

Most importantly, the defense didn’t have many major breakdowns. When Ramsey does eventually hit the field, things will look different. But he should be quite a talented piece to this puzzle. He’s most comfortable playing cornerback, which he can do on the outside and at nickel. As Tomlin mentions, he’s also seeing some time at safety.

While he hasn’t seen an NFL field in a Steelers uniform yet, the training camp reviews on Ramsey are as expected. He’s already making an impact and getting the attention of his teammates. He’ll see action in the Steelers’ joint practice with the Buccaneers this week. He also could play in one of their two remaining preseason games.

After a disappointing end to the 2024 season, the Steelers knew they had to change some things defensively. Swapping Fitzpatrick for Jalen Ramsey is one way to do that. So far, Tomlin likes what he’s seeing from his new chess piece.