Why Minkah Fitzpatrick is better on the Steelers than he was on the Dolphins

Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick has been incredible since coming to Pittsburgh. Here’s why he’s been better for the Steelers than he was for the Dolphins.

There were a lot of skeptics who doubted the Steelers when they elected to trade away their 2020 first-round draft pick for Dolphins safety, Minkah Fitzpatrick. The former 2018 first-round pick was the 11th player selected in the draft last year, but he wasn’t quite performing up to expectations.

It turns out that all Fitzpatrick needed was a move to deep safety. According to Next Gen Stats, Fitzpatrick has been significantly better by the numbers since coming to Pittsburgh:

By Next Gen Stats’ metrics, Fitzpatrick allowed a 141.4 passer rating during his first two weeks in Miami, but that changed drastically when the Steelers moved his position.

Pittsburgh had a big need at free safety with Sean Davis going down for the year. Before he was even placed on IR, the Steelers made the move for Fitzpatrick. Prior to the trade, Minkah had expressed his frustration with the Dolphins using him as a box safety and a defensive back near the line of scrimmage.

Fortunately, Pittsburgh had a need on the back end. Fitzpatrick has played deep safety on 85 percent of his defensive snaps since joining the team, and it has worked out wonderfully for the Steelers. During that time, he has allowed just 3 of 15 passes to be caught and has picked the ball off three times. All of this equates to him allowing just a 10.8 passer rating to opposing quarterbacks when playing deep.

Fitzpatrick is turning out to be a miraculous find for the Steelers, and now that he is playing in his best position, the sky is the limit for what he might accomplish. Minkah’s incredible instincts and play-making ability should help keep Pittsburgh’s defense competitive for years to come.