Why Steelers-Dolphins made trade with Minkah Fitzpatrick, Jalen Ramsey, Jonnu Smith

Over the summer, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins pulled off a trade no one saw coming.

Minkah Fitzpatrick ended up with the Dolphins, while Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith ended up with the Steelers.

Now, in Week 15, we get to see how it turned out.

Pittsburgh and Miami are playing on Monday Night Football, and those traded players will be on the field against their former teams.

This is how we got here.

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Steelers-Dolphins trade details

This trade went down on June 30:

Steelers receive:

• CB Jalen Ramsey
• TE Jonnu Smith
• 2027 seventh-round draft pick

Dolphins receive:

• S Minkah Fitzpatrick
• 2027 fifth-round draft pick

The deal was initially reported as if it was two separate trades, but it was really the above construction all along.

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Why did Steelers-Dolphins make trade with Minkah Fitzpatrick, Jalen Ramsey, Jonnu Smith?

This trade essentially prioritized different parts of the secondary.

The Steelers wanted another cornerback to go along with Joey Porter Jr., and Ramsey filled that role with a great veteran presence (along with Darius Slay, who is gone now).

Smith gave offensive coordinator Arthur Smith yet another tight end, a position he loves utilizing including in 3-TE formations.

The Dolphins got a reunion with Fitzpatrick, who had originally been their first-round pick in 2018.

He was an upgrade at safety, although losing Ramsey hurt a weak CB core and losing Smith didn't help Tua Tagovailoa's cause (Darren Waller out of retirement mitigated that some at least).

Overall, the trade has been fine for both teams. It was still a bit surprising that it ever happened in the first place.

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