By the end of their disappointing five-game losing slide to close the 2024 season, the Steelers‘ defense, especially the secondary, had become a glaring weakness. Joey Porter Jr., entering his sophomore year amid high expectations, finished with a 55.0 PFF overall grade, ranking 161st out of 222 CBs. Beanie Bishop Jr. flashed big-play potential at times, yet his coverage grade plummeted to 47.6 in the Week 11 loss to Baltimore, highlighting his inconsistency. Donte Jackson? He allowed an average of 15.6 yards per reception, a concerning figure.

But still, one can argue that the Steelers are entering the 2025 season with one of the best defenses in the league. Why? Well, they upgraded their secondary. Darius Slay is entering after a Super Bowl-winning run with the Eagles. Expectations will be high from Porter, again, given that he’s returning from a knee injury. The kicker? The Steelers have found themselves amidst trade negotiations for a top-tier corner.

The rumor mill is buzzing that Mike Tomlin and Co. are interested in Jalen Ramsey. But he’s under a massive contract, and it’s unlikely for the Steelers to give up their draft capital to trade for him. Enter Jack Sperry of the Steelers Talk, who believes that if Pittsburgh failed to trade for Ramsey, they might re-unite with their former corner, Mike Hilton.

“If they don’t get Jalen Ramsey,” Sperry noted, “I could see them re-unite with Mike Hilton, who was fantastic in his four seasons here in Pittsburgh.” Entered as an undrafted free agent, Hilton didn’t play in his rookie season. However, once arriving in Pittsburgh, the 31-year-old corner was one of the best slot corners of the Steelers. Across four seasons under Mike Tomlin’s coaching, Hilton recorded 237 tackles and 9.5 sacks before leaving the Steel City.

“He was one of the best blitzing slot corners in the league when he was here,” Sperry added. “He still is, and he’s very physical and a good run defender, a couple of things that are very important to head coach Mike Tomlin.” Hilton has been with the Bengals for the past four seasons. As for the 2024 season, the CB appeared in 16 games with Cincy, where he recorded 61 tackles, 5 passes defensed, and had one interception. Hilton signed his four-year deal with the Bengals back in 2021.

With the 2024 season behind him, he hasn’t secured a contract extension and is currently a free agent. All in all, the Steelers have a stacked cornerback room, no doubt. But if a trade with Jalen Ramsey is off the table, expect them to sign their former corner ahead of the 2025 season.

Is Mike Tomlin really interested in Jalen Ramsey?

Jalen Ramsey’s trade negotiations have been one of the hottest topics this offseason. However, he’s still in Miami, doesn’t want to play under head coach Mike McDaniel, and is still seeking a trade. ESPN’s Adam Schefter pointed out that Mike Tomlin and his crew “checked” for the availability of Ramsey this offseason. But NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport wasn’t on board with this, literally.

“I don’t see Jalen Ramsey getting traded the Steelers now,” Rapoport explained on The Pat McAfee Show. “I wouldn’t be surprised if there was interest from the Steelers. I mean, Omar Khan has been very open-minded about everyone available, it seems. Which I kind of love.” Noted. Though the Steelers might be interested in trading for Ramsey and the trade seems financially feasible for them.

Ramsey is an outside cornerback. And with Darius Slay already in the town, Joey Porter Jr. set to complement Slay as the Steelers’ outside CB, this trade seems…well, unlikely. Why? Well, for starters, Ramsey is carrying a big price tag for the 2025 season. And of course, a corner of his calibre would not want to settle for a rotational role at this point in his career.

To spice things up, Tomlin seems to need a slot corner. Ramsey can play slot, no doubt. But he’s not your full-time slot cornerback. But Mike Hilton is. Safe to say, there are a bunch of reasons why a trade between the Steelers and Ramsey seems uncertain. With the 2025 season rapidly approaching and the way things are shaping up, Pittsburgh might sign Hilton rather than trade for Ramsey. Will they? Won’t they? That we shall see.