Kyle Dugger barely had time to settle in. The former Patriots safety practiced only a couple of days with the Pittsburgh Steelers last week after a midweek trade. Yet, when the whistle blew against the Indianapolis Colts, Dugger was out there for almost every defensive snap. That shows exactly how much confidence Mike Tomlin already has in his newest defensive piece.

Then came Jalen Ramsey, the steady veteran presence who helped anchor the secondary in that same matchup. He finished the game with five solo tackles and brought energy from the first snap to the last. Tomlin couldn’t help but praise him afterward.

“He’s just awesome. And wherever we play him, he embraces it. He excels. He played a really good game for us at free safety and free safety exclusively. Circumstances dictated that.”

Tomlin also touched upon Dugger’s fast start. “I can’t say enough about Kyle. Being able to get on a moving train. I think he really kind of got to us like Wednesday in terms of getting some work done, and to be able to play every snap like he did and be a component of this thing was really impressive. And it’s really exciting moving forward.”

Now with Ramsey locking down safety full-time and Dugger settling into his new role, Tomlin’s defense might be turning a corner. Dugger finished with four total tackles. He shut down big plays, kept the defense organized, and gave Pittsburgh fans a glimpse of what’s coming next. Even Ramsey couldn’t hide his admiration.

“Super impressed by what he did. I’ve been enjoying being out there on the field with him and communicating and getting familiar with each other’s game and how we play and how we play off of each other. He did super well, he was in the right positions, he communicated well when it was time for him to communicate.”

Still, for Ramsey, the game wasn’t all smiles.

NFL announces punishment for Jalen Ramsey

The Steelers defeated the Colts 27-20. But now the point of conversation is not the win but a punishment.

It all happened late in the fourth quarter. The Colts were pushing into Steelers territory when Daniel Jones hit Michael Pittman for a 16-yard gain. But just as Pittman turned upfield, Jalen Ramsey came flying in with a massive hit that sent the receiver to the turf. Moments later, the flags came flying too.

Officials hit Ramsey with an unnecessary roughness penalty, ruling it an illegal shot on a defenseless receiver. The crowd at the Acrisure Stadium didn’t like it one bit. Still, the league didn’t waste time handing out discipline.

The NFL announced a $17,389 fine for Ramsey’s hit, the standard punishment for contact on a defenseless player. It was his first such offense of the season, but it still stung. For a veteran like Ramsey, that kind of hit walks a fine line between playing tough and crossing the rulebook.