The Baltimore Ravens have turned to a familiar face in Rayshawn Jenkins, and it’s the kind of move Pittsburgh Steelers fans will be happy to see.
On Monday, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported that Baltimore is signing the veteran safety, who already spent the first six weeks of the season with the Steelers. Pittsburgh eventually decided it had seen enough and moved on from him.
The timing makes the addition even more interesting. Baltimore comes into this move after a 35-13 loss at home to Joe Burrow and the Bengals’ dangerous receiver duo, and the secondary is already thin with Jaylinn Hawkins out and multiple defensive backs on injured reserve.
Still, this is the sort of signing that feels more like a patch than a solution. Jenkins has struggled for a while, and his brief run in Pittsburgh did nothing to change that view.
He appeared in four games for the Steelers early in the 2026 season. In that stretch, he was targeted five times and gave up five completions for 120 yards and a touchdown, according to Pro Football Focus. That added up to a perfect 158.3 passer rating allowed.
The numbers weren’t even the worst part. The film told the same story, with Jenkins repeatedly finding himself out of position despite playing in a limited role.
He’s now on his fifth NFL team in four years, and with this signing, he has spent time on three AFC North rosters since last season - the Browns, Steelers, and Ravens. Only the Bengals are left if he keeps this tour going.
For Pittsburgh, the experience was ugly enough that the team made a change quickly. Jenkins was playing because DeShon Elliott was hurt, but once the Steelers benched him at halftime of the Browns game on TNF and turned to seventh-round rookie Robert Spears-Jennings, the defense immediately looked better.
The Steelers still have both games against the Ravens ahead of them late in the year, and if Jenkins is still on Baltimore’s roster by then, that will be a name plenty of people in Pittsburgh remember.
In Other News...
Yahya Black Is Giving Steelers Fans Another Reason To Trust This Defense
Yahya Black has quietly become one of the more interesting developments on Pittsburghs defense this season. With Derrick Harmon sidelined, Blacks role has grown, and while the box score and grading metrics may not fully capture it, the tape shows a lineman doing the dirty work that helps the Steelers run defense hold up. He has been clogging lanes, taking on double teams and making life harder for backs trying to find clean space inside.
There is also a little more to his game than just eating blocks, which matters for a defense that wants dependable pieces it can keep on the field. Black has started to show improvement as a pass rusher, giving Pittsburgh a more versatile presence up front and making him increasingly playable in more situations. For a team that leans on its defense to set the tone, that kind of growth is another reason to trust what this unit can still be. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Have A Trade Deadline Question Fans Will Fight Over
With the NFL trade deadline drawing closer, the Steelers are in the familiar position of weighing whether a midseason move could help a roster that still has obvious edges to smooth out. Pittsburgh has about $14.5 million in salary cap space, enough to at least take a serious look at the market if the right deal appears, and the early chatter is already pointing in several directions depending on which part of the roster the front office believes needs the most help.
The names being floated span the board, from cornerback Tariq Woolen and wideout Jauan Jennings to linebacker Frankie Luvu, guard Quenton Nelson and safety Jessie Bates III, which tells you how many different conversations could be happening at once. The bigger question is not just who is available, but whether Pittsburgh wants a short-term fix in a rental type of move or prefers to keep its powder dry and trust what it has, a choice that usually gets fans arguing long before the deadline actually arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Joey Porter Jr Is Reopening An Uncomfortable Steelers Debate
Joey Porter Jr. has become a reminder of what the Steelers used to have at cornerback, and the contrast has been hard to ignore. Now with Dallas, Porter has been sharp in coverage this season, while Pittsburghs secondary looked vulnerable again in its Week 7 game against New Orleans, giving up a string of completions and too many easy yards in the back end.
The comparison is uncomfortable because it goes beyond a single rough afternoon. Porter has been doing his part for the Cowboys, while the Steelers are left sorting through another week where their defensive backs did not hold up the way they needed to, and that only sharpens the old question about how Pittsburgh evaluated and moved on from the young corner. [Read more 🡒]