Jalen Ramsey was traded from the Miami Dolphins to the Pittsburgh Steelers in June and has been one of the primary focal points of the Steelers’ defense through the first half of the NFL season.
A former No. 5 overall pick in 2016, Super Bowl champion, and seven-time Pro Bowler, Ramsey’s move to Pittsburgh was designed to bring veteran leadership and a championship pedigree to a roster built to contend immediately.
While he’s made his presence felt with a few game-changing plays, he’s also had some lapses in judgment — none more evident than his costly moment in Week 9 against the Indianapolis Colts.
Colts QB Daniel Jones completed a 16-yard pass to WR Michael Pittman Jr. on a crossing route late in the fourth quarter, with Ramsey making hard contact immediately as Pittman turned his body, quickly drawing a 5-yard penalty for unnecessary roughness.
Not only did the play cost Pittsburgh five yards, but Ramsey also received a hefty $17,389 fine from the NFL when disciplinary actions were announced Saturday.
It was one of the larger fines of the week, behind only Washington Commanders’ LB Frankie Luvu (hip-drop tackle, $100,000), Baltimore Ravens WR Rashod Bateman ($25,154, verbal abuse of an official), and Minnesota Vikings RB Aaron Jones ($23,186, use of the helmet).
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Per league rules, a receiver is protected as ‘defenseless’ until he can shield himself from contact, and hits in that window typically draw automatic penalties and heavy fines, as made evident with Ramsey’s punishment.
Penalties and fines of this nature can even be accompanied by suspensions when hits are judged egregious or repeat offenses.
While the unnecessary roughness call didn’t impact the outcome — the Steelers still pulled out a 27–20 win — it did come with a noticeable hit to Ramsey’s paycheck.
Next up for Ramsey and the Steelers is a matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium on Sunday, followed by a home game against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 11 and at the Chicago Bears in Week 12.