On a day the Pittsburgh Steelers traded for Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith of the Miami Dolphins, the Cleveland Browns may have emerged as the biggest winners. Let me explain. While the Steelers defense will undoubtedly be marginally better in 2025-26 thanks to the flexibility Ramsey offers, Pittsburgh still have vital holes in the secondary, run defense, and on offense at wide receiver. Those are not going away anytime soon.
In order to acquire Ramsey in the first place, the Steelers had to send Minkah Fitzpatrick back to his old stomping grounds in Miami. Fitzpatrick took a notable step back at the end of last season, but he's still a top-10 safety in the NFL and a former All-Pro. It also creates a problem for Pittsburgh, which will have to start Juan Thornhill next to DeShon Elliott in their base defense.
Why Browns fans can only laugh about Juan Thornhill
Thornhill played for the Browns last season, but overall hasn't been the same player since he left the Kansas City Chiefs. Some of that has to do with injuries and father time, but the Steelers are betting on Thornhill returning to form enough to play in their base defense as Ramsey switches in at times. Browns fans in particular didn't like how his tenure in Cleveland ended. Thornhill showed a disturbing lack of effort in the team's final games and was seen jogging on long touchdowns by the New Orleans Saints and others from his safety position.
Ultimately, Thornhill made a business decision in that moment, and then made another by signing with the Browns division rival this offseason. When Cleveland signed his replacement, he even tweeted that his own personal rivalry with the Browns was personal.
TJ Watt trade rumors provide another win for the Cleveland Browns
In the aftermath of the Steelers landing Ramsey and adding money on to his contract, the natural pivot was to wonder what this all means for TJ Watt. Watt, who did not attend OTAs due to his contract situation, is looking for a new long-term deal that mirrors what the Browns gave to Myles Garrett.
Garrett went about his contract situation differently than Watt, in part because he had to get the Browns attention. He demanded a trade away from Cleveland during Super Bowl week and spoke openly about it on media row. Eventually, the Browns gave in, but did not deal their star pass rusher. Instead, they gave him a deal worth $40 million per season. The Steelers will hope to avoid handing out that kind of money to Watt if they can.
However, with Pittsburgh back in the news following their major Ramsey splash, not paying Watt is out of the question. The Steelers are built to win and win now. They can worry about the repercussions of their actions later, as the vast majority of their star players are over the age of 30.
The Steelers are not going to trade Watt – that has already been reported and backed up by the team. However, they have been backed into a corner all thanks to the Browns and Garrett.