In 2019, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ season regarded misplaced after Ben Roethlisberger was misplaced for nearly the whole yr. Nevertheless, the Steelers tried to stay aggressive, buying and selling for security Minkah Fitzpatrick. It was a stunning transfer, but it surely paid off. Fitzpatrick made an instantaneous impression and was probably the greatest safeties within the NFL. Whereas he hasn’t been horrible, his play took a step again, ensuing within the Steelers buying and selling him this offseason. Former NFL security Rodney Harrison thinks the Steelers are in charge for Fitzpatrick’s struggles.
“When Minkah [Fitzpatrick] was on the College of Alabama, he performed over the slot, and he was the perfect DB in America,” Harrison stated Friday on the Chris Simms Unbuttoned podcast to former NFL defensive again Devin McCourty. “He was productive, he was blitzing, and he makes performs. And a yr later, they commerce him. However I don’t assume that he was in the best place to make performs.
“You’ll be able to’t have a man that proficient 25-yards within the deep center of the sector. You [McCourty] had been a man that performed, you performed nook, you could possibly play slot, you’ll be able to play out broad, you’ll be able to play security, you play it everywhere in the subject. That was your versatility. And I felt like Minkah Fitzpatrick was the identical method. To commerce him and usher in Jalen Ramsey, and Jalen’s a stable participant, however he’s not like that anymore.”
Fitzpatrick was with the Steelers for six seasons, and in that point, he was primarily a deep security. Nevertheless, that was the position he was finest fitted to. It’s true that Fitzpatrick was efficient enjoying within the slot in faculty. Nevertheless, the identical wasn’t true within the NFL.
In 2023, the Steelers handled a ton of accidents at security and linebacker. That pressured them to play Fitzpatrick in additional of a slot position, having him nearer to the road of scrimmage. Fitzpatrick proceeded to have considered one of his worst seasons in Pittsburgh. In 10 video games, he didn’t document a single interception.
Throughout the next offseason, Fitzpatrick expressed an curiosity in shifting away from that position. He was at his finest when he operated within the deep a part of the sector.
Additionally, Fitzpatrick’s subject with the Miami Dolphins throughout his first stint with them was that they had been shifting him round. He didn’t need to play that versatile position. It’s straightforward to say that the Steelers ought to’ve moved Fitzpatrick round, however in actuality, that wasn’t a profitable technique.
Sadly, even after shifting again to his extra pure place in 2024, Fitzpatrick didn’t appear like himself. He recorded an interception and was named to the Professional Bowl, however general, he felt much less impactful.
That led the Steelers to commerce him again to the Dolphins this offseason. Ramsey was a part of the bundle they received in return, and he appears slated to play the versatile position that Harrison envisioned for Fitzpatrick. Whereas Ramsey is a bit of older than Fitzpatrick, he’s been making performs in coaching camp thus far. Pittsburgh seems to be following Harrison’s suggestion, simply with a special participant.
