The Miami Dolphins spent most of the offseason deflecting questions about Jalen Ramsey, right up until he was traded to the Steelers. On Sunday, the Dolphins could have used his physicality.
Miami suffered an embarrassing to the Indianapolis Colts. Fans have been told throughout the offseason that there would be a culture change and that the problems in the locker room had been addressed. Instead, fans watched the Dolphins get out-played by the Colts while watching Ramsey take control in New York.
Ramsey clinched the Steelers' win over the Jets with a huge hit on a fourth down pass to Garrett Wilson that would have extended the game. Ramsey jarred the ball loose, and his physicality is exactly what the Dolphins lacked on Sunday.
Jalen Ramsey needed one game with the Steelers to show he was right about the Dolphins
Ramsey didn't start ideally. He was flagged for a 15-yard penalty, but good players make plays, and when the game was on the line, the Steelers got the best of what Ramsey has to offer: the Ramsey that the Dolphins fans were impressed with in his first games in South Florida.
While fans may want to sulk over watching Ramsey punish the Jets' final attempt to steal a last-ditch win, they can take comfort in knowing that their former corner kept the Jets in the same win/loss column as the Dolphins.
Ramsey's huge hit on Wilson was picture-perfect. He arrived same time as the ball, rolled his hips, drove through the receiver, and the ball - along with any chance of a Jets comeback- fell to the ground.
On Sunday, the Dolphins lacked leadership on both sides of the ball. Tagovailoa was at his worst. The defense, which was supposed to be anchored by a much improved defensive front seven, was outplayed so severely that the Daniel Jones-led Colts were able to pick apart the weak secondary, where Ramsey's presence would have made an impact.
The Dolphins are 0-1 while the Steelers opened with a win on the road, but it might just be Mike Tomlin, Ramsey, and even Jonnu Smith, who scored on one of his five receptions, who might have gotten the better of this trade.