The Pittsburgh Steelers will be moving Jalen Ramsey to free safety exclusively against the Indianapolis Colts, according to Mike Tomlin.
Ramsey, who has played safety, slot cornerback, and outside cornerback, can play all around the formation, but Tomlin says that due to injuries this week, Ramsey is moving to safety only.
Chuck Clark is out with an illness, while DeShon Elliott and Jabrill Peppers will miss the game with knee and quad injuries, respectively. It is expected that new safety Kyle Dugger, acquired in a trade with the Patriots on Thursday, will be the starter at strong safety.
“We moved Jalen Ramsey exclusively to safety this week, to offset. Jalen has played outside corner, he’s played nickel corner, he’s played safety. Given the circumstances, we felt it was prudent to lock him down specifically at free safety, and so he’ll be a constant hub of communication to assist all of those potential candidates who I mentioned in processing and playing,” Tomlin said.
This also has fallout in the cornerback room. Brandin Echols will likely be the starter in the slot, while Darius Slay and Joey Porter Jr. seem poised to start outside. The Steelers also have James Pierre at outside cornerback and he could figure into the equation if Pittsburgh would like to work the special teams ace into those snaps.
The Steelers’ secondary has struggled and is now banged-up, and they are hoping that these changes can give them signs of new life against the Colts.
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