The Pittsburgh Steelers made a shocking move late Monday night to acquire defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick from the Miami Dolphins. The move came as a huge surprise to those who know how the Steelers operate.
The Steelers had a very wild Monday for an NFL team to have. They found out Monday morning that Ben Roethlisberger required season-ending surgery on his throwing elbow and by Monday night, they had traded their first-round pick in the 2020 draft for Minkah Fitzpatrick.
The trade comes as a shock for many that thought they knew how the Steelers like to operate. In the span of six months, the Steelers have had a big splash type of free agency, moved up 10 spots in the draft for Devin Bush and now have traded away their first-round pick in a draft for the first time since 1967.
The Steelers have made it clear they are going out of their comfort zone to try to make this team better. The aggressiveness in the Steelers front office is a welcome change for the fans from the normal operation and is something many fans have hoped the team would do with an aging Ben Roethlisberger.
While the timing is odd, we won’t really know if the deal is good or bad until we see how the season shakes out. We can take a look at the immediate pros and cons of such an impactful trade on the day the team lost its franchise quarterback for the rest of the 2019 season.