Having spent two years in Miami, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ cornerback Jalen Ramsey knows too well about the Dolphins’ QB Tua Tagovailoa. Now, as the 7-6 Steelers are set to face the Dolphins amid their playoff push, Ramsey has sent a strong message to his former signal-caller.

“We got to be on our game,” Ramsey said about preparing for the Dolphins offense led by Tua. “Me being over there with [Tua] for a little minute, I know what he’s about, I know what type of guy he is and what type of player he is.”

This is what makes his statements more biting. Ramsey is not spouting off from afar; he is speaking as if he knows the work ethic, the leadership qualities, the skills of Tagovailoa himself. It should also be noted that Ramsey had one message: you better not sleep on Tua.

This showdown between Ramsey and the Dolphins is more special as they both share history. It took Ramsey a couple of seasons playing in aqua to register 27 games with 82 tackles, one sack, five interceptions for 59 yards, along with 16 passes defended. This departure from Miami couldn’t have gone more south, but it is evident that he takes a certain liking to some of his ex-playmates, including Tagovailoa.

It was Miami that traded Ramsey to Pittsburgh in a major trade deadline move that also saw Jonnu Smith relocate to Pittsburgh, while All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick went back to his NFL team of origin. It is reported that there was an “irreparably broken” bond between Ramsey’s playing side with the Dolphins organization, but it should be noted that the key defender took the time to appreciate the trade after it went through.

“I do appreciate the Dolphins and them working with me,” Ramsey told the Pivot podcast. “Not just, ‘hey, this team called and, you know, we’re going to send you here.’ … Let’s go to a team that’s going to be able to compete. Let’s go to a team where there’s a lot of respect for the head coach.”

Meanwhile, for his own part, Tagovailoa did not believe that Monday night represented a personal match-up between himself and his former teammate. He chose to look at it as a contest between Miami and Pittsburgh, not a quarterback versus a cornerback battle.

“We all know Jalen is a very aggressive player. That’s Jalen’s mindset as well,” Quarterback Tagovailoa commented on Thursday. “But we’re not just playing against Jalen. We’re playing their entire defense. He plays safety like he plays corner, aggressive.”

Statistically speaking, the Dolphins ‘ quarterback arrives on the playing field with 238 completions out of 356 passes for a total of 2,407 yards with 18 touchdowns, with 14 interceptions. However, despite these unpredictable statistics, their team remains potent as long as he is protected, which is what Ramsey warned about.

While Ramsey recognized the significance of the series, another former Dolphin, Jonnu Smith, chose the opposite course of action after being questioned about playing the Dolphins.

Jonnu Smith downplays the emotional angle

“Another game for me,” Smith said. “Can’t get caught up with the emotions of it… I’m going to handle this game like any other.”

Jonnu Smith sounds unconcerned, but his recent career path is the antithesis of that sentiment. He had last year’s best campaign in Miami, with 88 receptions for 884 yards and eight touchdowns. He was one of the key cogs in the Dolphins’ attack, one of the go-to guys for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

That’s not what happened in Pittsburgh. Returning for the second season with his college coach, Arthur Smith, who is Pittsburgh’s OC, Smith’s career is backtracking in earnest. He’s had 13 games with the Steelers, with only 30 catches for 190 yards, a career-worst 6.3 yards per reception average, with touchdowns limited to a mere pair.

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It hasn’t stayed quiet for long. In the past five games, Jonnu Smith managed a sniffling five catches for 31 yards. All of it points to his limited role for the Steelers’ struggling attack.