Steelers Activate Jalen Ramsey From PUP List

Ramsey, 31, suffered a knee injury during mandatory minicamp in June and was placed on the PUP list at the beginning of training camp in late July. He progressed enough in his rehab to pass a team physical and rejoin his teammates at practice on Monday.

Ramsey’s activation will add some much-needed depth to a Steelers cornerback room that has been without Joey Porter Jr. for all of camp. The fourth-year cornerback is currently at an impasse in contract talks with the team, which were complicated by Devon Witherspoon‘s record-setting $33MM AAV extension with the Seahawks. Porter remains on the active/PUP list and may need some time to ramp up in Patrick Graham’s new defense once he returns to the field, which could impact the unit at the start of the regular season.

Having Ramsey at full strength will go a long way in getting Pittsburgh’s defense off to a strong start. He was named to the Pro Bowl for his work at safety last year, but he is returning to his natural position – where he earned seven Pro Bowls and three first-team All-Pro nods – in 2026. After plenty of work in the slot last season, he could be in line for a hybrid role with time on the boundary and at nickel, similar to his duties in Los Angeles.