Minkah Fitzpatrick was the missing ingredient to a defense that needed a splash playmaker. After Ben Roethlisberger went down with a season-ending elbow injury in Week 2 of the 2019 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers showed they weren’t mailing in the campaign and traded a first-round pick to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for the young safety, and it ended up being one of the best trades in franchise history.
From 2019-24, Fitzpatrick was a three-time First-Team All-Pro and a five-time Pro Bowler, leading the NFL in interceptions in 2022 with six. However, his splash plays began to decrease. From 2023-24, he recorded just one interception, and in June, 2025, he was sent back to the Dolphins in exchange for Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith.
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Joining The Pivot, Fitzpatrick discussed the frustrations he had over the course of his final years with the Steelers.
“When I first got there, they just kind of plugged me in at the post safety, half safety,” Fitzpatrick said. “And I played well there. After a while, quarterbacks aren’t going to be throwing you the ball a whole lot, or throwing [the post] or to your half. And I kind of got pushed into that role. And people forgot that what I was known for was my versatility and doing different things. I think I’m a good football player, so no matter where you put me on the field, I’m gonna be a good football player. But I think where my capabilities are maximized is when I can do different things. Whether it be in the post, next play in the half, next play rushing off the edge – doing different things. And I think they got so used to me being in that role, and doing a good job of it… I just got stuck in that role. And after a while, my splash and production went down. I was still playing ‘good football,’ but it wasn’t splashy football. And I just got stuck in a role that wasn’t splashy, wasn’t making a lot of plays…”
Fitzpatrick’s soliloquy confirms what a lot of fans and media have been saying about the defense over the last handful of years. Schematically, they had grown stale and showed an inability to adapt and evolve. Through training camp, we’ve seen new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham experiment and try new things with his top players, specifically as it pertains to the edge rushers.
Graham has thrown looks at the offense with T.J. Watt lined up all over the defensive line, as well as Alex Highsmith. We’ve also seen looks with Watt, Highsmith, and Nick Herbig all on the field at the same time. While we still have to see what it looks like in game, the early changes and nuances through the final weeks of summer have been refreshing, and something the Steelers have desperately needed.
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