Take a step back in time with me. It was late June, and “Khan Artist” mania was in full force. Omar Khan had just completed the trade that sent Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Miami Dolphins for Jalen Ramsey, and Jonnu Smith. This was universally held as the crowning achievement in Khan’s master class of an offseason. Fast forward to today, and the Minkah Fitzpatrick trade isn’t all it was cracked up to be.
The two main characters in this trade have basically played about the same this season. Both Fitzpatrick, and Ramsey each have one interception and 5 passes defended. Minkah has more tackles, while Ramsey has more sacks. If you are a PFF truther, Fitzpatrick has a 75 overall grade, while Ramsey is currently at a 65 grade. When it comes to surrounding talent, Ramsey wins that in a landslide.
All of this is to say basically the two are a push. Now some will make the argument that Ramsey is a shutdown corner, a position much more valuable than safety. As it turns out this is not the case on either front. First off, Jalen Ramsey has played significantly more in the slot than outside to the tune of 182 to 116. Overall only 116 of his 430 total snaps have been played as a boundary corner. And of those snaps outside, Jalen Ramsey has been anything but elite. See the Cincinnati game as exhibit A. Lots of talk around the trade was focused on how Jaylen Ramsey was brought in specifically to combat the Bengals passing game. Well Ja’Marr Chase had a career day, and the Bengals dropped 33 points in their win over the Steelers.
As far as the other player involved in this trade, let’s just say it’s been disappointing to be kind. Jonnu Smith was coming off a career year in Miami. Smith had not just career highs, but outlier type stats in receiving yards, and receptions in 2024. Given that the Dolphins had the best offensive coaching Smith has ever had should have been a red flag. Regression was always coming here in Pittsburgh. But to have 20 receptions for less than 120 yards is a bit much. One could argue he is hurting the team by limiting the snaps of Pat Freiermuth.
At the end of the day, the best the Steelers can hope for is this trade ending up in a wash. Jalen Ramsey is three years older than Fitzpatrick, and his days as an elite cover corner are over. He could however end his career as a very good safety/slot corner. There is value in that. In fact, the way the Steelers are using Ramsey now is how they should have been using Minkah Fitzpatrick all along. So basically the Steelers traded Minkah for an older version of himself, while misjudging Ramsey’s ability to be a shut down corner.
This will not go down as a horrendous trade by Omar Khan. Ramsey alone is still a good enough player to combat that narrative. But if you’re grading on a curve that takes hype into consideration, this trade will never live up to its billing.
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