Can Gerald Alexander get the most out of JPJ, Steelers DBs? + Jalen Ramsey?

Written By Jason Newman

*The Ravens rushed for 299 yards that day.

The Pittsburgh Steelers allowed (former) DB Coach Grady Brown’s contract to expire following the 2024 season, and I’d bet my ass that the five-game slide that the team went on to end the season played a significant role in their decision to do so. The numbers from that losing streak (shown above) are pretty disgusting…but I have to acknowledge that the names I listed above are among some of the best QBs in the league; even one that will be in the GOAT conversation when it’s all said and done. Still, it’s not the fact that these QBs tore our secondary to pieces…they’re the best in the world at what they do. That’s almost expected. It’s how it looked on film that likely cost Grady Brown another year with this group. Miscommunications all over the place. Penalty flags flying. Guys getting their ankles taken from underneath them. It was ugly as hell, but even uglier is how many snaps Cam Sutton was playing despite really just doing cardio, often in the wrong zone or covering the wrong guy. But, they gave him a starter’s share of the snaps and paid a heavy price for it. 

Meanwhile, the “backup” NB, Beanie Bishop Jr., was second on the team in INTs with 4, and despite being undersized, had some bright spots in coverage. I believe they gave Cam Sutton the lion's share of the snaps, because of Beanie Bishop’s size and the perceived liability that he could be against the run. But, the damn Ravens went for 299 rushing yards in a playoff win against us a few months ago, so let’s not act like Cam Sutton was a needle mover in that regard. I’d be curious to know how much pull Grady Brown had in the decision to bench Beanie Bishop following the Sutton suspension, and how much of a role that played in the Steelers and Brown not negotiating another deal for him to stay with the team. Instead, the Steelers have parted ways with both Cam Sutton and Grady Brown, and Beanie Bishop Jr. will surely have a chip on his shoulder heading into the 2025 season, seeing as he was benched in favor of a veteran trash can despite a decent 2024 campaign. Gerald Alexander has taken over as Defensive Back’s Coach for the Steelers. 

Alexander was Grady Brown’s assistant with the Steelers in 2022 and 2023, before pursuing an opportunity with the Raiders in 2024. He will return to the Steelers for the 2025 season in a familiar capacity, but with some added responsibility. Derrick Bell (Steelers Now) and Christopher Carter (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) sat down together, last week, to discuss OTAs and which players they have their eyes on this summer. During their discussion, Chris Carter brought up Gerald Alexander’s coaching style, referring to it as “polar opposite” to Grady Brown’s. Carter noted in previous years, with Grady Brown, he would allow practices to play out, and then he would address player mistakes individually in the meeting rooms. Alexander, on the other hand, is on the field “enthusiastically” calling out guys, and making sure their attention to detail is on point. This is happening at late May/early June practices, mind you. Carter asked Minkah Fitzpatrick what he thought about the contrast in coaching styles, and Minkah referred to it as “refreshing”. 

This is all good news for Steeler fans, and it certainly points to a productive summer on the horizon for our secondary. Between the hands-on coaching from Gerald Alexander, and the addition of Super Bowl Champion CB Darius Slay, this is probably the most crucial summer of Joey Porter Jr.’s football life. Porter has the toolbox to be a top five CB in the NFL. However, he has developed a handsy reputation that has the attention of every official in the league it seems, as he was the most flagged corner in the league last year. I wrote, last week, about a championship window that could be opening up in Pittsburgh following the 2026 draft. In order for that to happen, there’s a group of young players that are going to have to find their footing and solidify themselves as among the best in the league at what they do: Broderick Jones, Payton Wilson, Keeanu Benton, and of course (among others), Joey Porter Jr. 

Darius Slay recently did an interview with Mina Kimes from ESPN, and when he was asked about JPJ, he relished in the opportunity to help Joey grow as a player, and gave us this funny quotable that I’ve seen everywhere since then: “They say he can’t catch, but we’re gonna fix that. We’re gonna catch the rock this year.”

This, of course, is in reference to JPJ’s two career INTs, which, through two seasons is…well…not a lot…for a CB1. It’s pretty evident watching Joey play that he wants to play with a certain edge and physicality, but that doesn’t mean he can’t play to catch the ball as well. In the wise words of Mike Tomlin: “Well, that’s coaching.”

I can’t stress this enough…if the Steelers are eyeing the championship window I think they’re eyeing…Joey Porter Jr. has to be a pillar of this defense. My eyes will be fixated on him and his growth as we move through these next few months into the regular season.

He won’t be alone, though. The rumor mill is abuzz with sweet, sweet, reports of mutual interest between the Steelers and Jaire Alexander or Jalen Ramsey. Alexander, of course, ended up with the ratbirds in Baltimore. Ramsey, however, remains a hostage in Miami as he awaits a trade destination. After the Brandin Aiyuk saga last year, I’ve decided that I’m going to do a lot less reading of the tea leaves this summer. With that being said, if he’s traded to the Steelers, that obviously makes our secondary even better, and it’s already pretty damn good (minus that black hole at NB). There’s, admittedly, some concern on my behalf about what that would mean for the development of Cory Trice Jr., who, like JPJ, has the tools to be a top tier corner in this league. However, in the interest of winning football games in the year 2025, trading for Jalen Ramsey makes sense, especially when you watch those last five games of last season when our secondary fell apart. If this trade doesn’t happen, then Cory Trice Jr. and Darius Slay figure to battle it out for CB2 snaps; a battle in which I give Slay the slight edge. 

Follow me on twitter/x: @jay_newm 

Jason Newman
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