PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers parting with Minkah Fitzpatrick in a blockbuster trade with the Miami Dolphins was a shocking offseason development. Weeks later, the Steelers are still assessing what areas of their roster need addressed before training camp and the preseason arrive.
The unfortunate truth for the Steelers is their secondary is weaker without the former All-Pro safety. Even with the addition of Jalen Ramsey and the signing of Juan Thornhill, they still need reinforcements.
Especially when they are trying to replace a top-10 safety in the NFL, according to a recent ranking from ESPN. Jeremy Fowler compiled the list that incorporated voting and input from NFL executives, coaches and scouts. Despite a statistical regression the past two years, the NFL still views Fitzpatrick as the ninth-best safety in the league.
“This move is a welcome change for Fitzpatrick, whose ball production dipped the past two seasons,” Fowler wrote. ”After recording 17 interceptions and 38 pass breakups from 2019-22, he managed one and seven, respectively, from 2023-24.”
The ranking is the third straight season that Fitzpatrick has fallen in ESPN’s rankings. Entering the 2023 season, he was the top-ranked player at his position. He fell to fourth last year, and now enters just inside the top-10.
The Dolphins are counting on Fitzpatrick to have a resurgent campaign in his return to Miami, the team that drafted him in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Taking on a leadership role with the Dolphins and revitalized by the move, one anonymous NFL coordinator supported the notion of a bounce-back season for Fitzpatrick.
"He still has a lot to offer -- incredibly hard worker, tone-setter, super solid running things on the back end and preventing big plays, things that go unnoticed," they said. "I'm expecting a bounce-back year from him.”
Without Fitzpatrick, the Steelers have a group of defensive backs competing for snaps. Thornhill will step into the starting slot alongside DeShon Elliott as the veteran of the group, but players like Sebastian Castro, Donte Kent, Beanie Bishop Jr, Brandin Echols, Kyler McMichael, and Cameron McCutcheon vying for snaps and a shot on the 53-man roster. It’s not an imposing group right now, but that’s the consequence of trading away one of the top safeties in the NFL.
