The Steelers’ secondary may be headed into Thursday night with another question mark attached to it.
After Pittsburgh’s 30-27 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3, WPXI’s Jenna Harner reported that Jalen Ramsey was spotted in the locker room with a sling on his right arm. That comes at a bad time for a defense that can’t exactly spare bodies on the back end with the Cleveland Browns up next in Week 4.
Ramsey still played plenty against Cincinnati, logging 57 defensive snaps, which was two more than he had in Week 2 against the New England Patriots. He also spent most of his night in the slot, lining up there for 35 snaps. That nearly matched his total at the position over the first two weeks combined, which stood at 37 according to Pro Football Focus.
The production line was mixed. PFF had Ramsey giving up five catches on seven targets for 40 yards and a touchdown, but he also chipped in some impact work against the run and finished with a season-high eight tackles.
The bigger concern for Pittsburgh is what happens if Ramsey can’t go, because the depth chart behind him is already thin. Brandin Echols is the next option at slot corner, but he was pulled from the Bengals game with a potential concussion, leaving his availability for Thursday night very much in doubt as well.
There’s still no clear answer on Joey Porter Jr., either. He has missed all three games so far, while starting safety DeShon Elliott has also been out all season on the reserve/injured list.
The situation got even shakier late in the Bengals game when Asante Samuel Jr., who had been starting opposite Jamel Dean on the boundary in place of Porter Jr., was benched for rookie Daylen Everette.
That leaves the Steelers with a few possible paths, none of them especially clean. Porter Jr. could make his season debut in primetime against Cleveland.
Ramsey and Echols could both be available. Or Pittsburgh could be forced to patch things together with rookies like Everette and safety Robert Spears-Jennings, especially if Ramsey is limited or out.
If Porter Jr. doesn’t return, Samuel Jr. may have to keep his starting job despite what happened against Cincinnati.
For now, the picture is murky, and the Steelers are waiting to see how their secondary holds up on a short week.
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