While he is more than OK sharing the role as the Steelers’ No. 1 corner with Joey Porter Jr., Jalen Ramsey has already pulled rank when it comes to covering All-Pro receiver Ja’Marr Chase.
The seven-time Pro Bowl defensive back made that clear when he was recently asked who will cover the Bengals’ No. 1 wideout when the Steelers face the Bengals this season.
“That’s me. That’s Jay,” Ramsey said on The Pivot podcast. “That’s 5 for now. That’s 5. I know that’s what Joey wants as well. And he’s going to get his [opportunities]. But, that’s 5 for now. That’s 5.”
To be clear, Ramsey’s desire to guard Chase is in no way any disrespect toward the later. Conversely, it’s a sign of respect as Ramsey wants to test his skills against arguably the NFL’s best receiver who last year became only the fifth receiver since 1970 to lead the league in receptions, receiving yards and touchdown catches in the same season.
“He’s the one, too,” Ramsey said of Chase, who caught five passes for 89 yards against a Ramsey-led Rams secondary in Super Bowl LVI.
In Pittsburgh, Ramsey is making the transition from cornerback to free safety, where he will be replacing Minkah Fitzpatrick, who had some epic battles against Chase over the past five seasons. Their rivalry led to the iconic picture of Chase flipping Fitzpatrick the bird during a 2022 game between Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. While Fitzpatrick is now in Miami, it appears there will still be a marquee showdown this season between Chase and another All-Pro caliber player from Pittsburgh’s secondary in Ramsey, a three-time All-Pro.
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Regarding his new role in Pittsburgh, Ramsey will still get a chance to play some cornerback while mixing his talents with fellow corners Porter and six-time Pro Bowler Darius Slay. Ramsey compared Porter to former Jaguars teammate A.J. Bouye in terms of his desire to ascend to the role as the team’s No. 1 corner.
“I love that,” Ramsey said of Porter. “That mindset is crazy. … It’s gonna be a match made in heaven. We’re going to feed off each other, and Slay, if you want to hop in there too, you come on. But if you want to dominate the twos or the three, you do that, too. So it’s going to be fun, for sure.”
Ramsey loves Porter’s mindset, and as Ramsey alluded to, there’s going to plenty of chances this season for Porter to show what he can do as the team’s No. 1 corner. But that apparently won’t be the case, however, when the Steelers face Chase and the rest of the Bengals’ offense this season.
