Minkah Fitzpatrick wants to be compared to Ed Reed, Troy Polamalu, and Brian Dawkins

Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick was phenomenal in 2019. Here’s why he won’t stop until he’s compared to players like Ed Reed and Troy Polamalu.

Minkah Fitzpatrick had a rough start to his second NFL season in 2019. Playing out of position for the Miami Dolphins in his first two games of the season, Fitzpatrick surrendered three touchdowns and allowed a perfect passer rating, according to Pro Football Focus. However, things turned around quickly upon his arrival to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Though he was with a completely new team, Minkah made his presence felt right away – earning an interception, a pass deflection, and a forced fumble in his first game wearing black and gold. The rest of his season was equally impressive as Fitzpatrick garnered 5 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries, and 2 defensive touchdowns on the year, according to Pro Football Reference.

In a recent article by Tyler Dunne of Bleacher Report, Fitzpatrick stated how he wanted to be one of the best of the best and have his name compared to players like Ed Reed, Troy Polamalu, and Brian Dawkins. Here’s what he had to say:

"“I don’t like just saying stuff. Saying, ‘Oh, I can be one of the best! I think I prepare and I train and work like I want to be one of the best of the best. One of the best to play the game. I want to be compared to the Ed Reeds and the Polamalus and the Brian Dawkinses of the game. That’s the standard that I work to and the standard I try to hold myself to. Now that I’m verbally saying it, I’m going to have to work up to it even more.”"

This is something that will not be easy to accomplish.

Ed Reed, Troy Polamalu, and Brian Dawkins are widely considered the three best safeties to play in the 2000s and are a few of the best safeties of all-time. After just one dominant season in the league, Fitzpatrick still has a lot of work to do.

However, if there is a safety in the league who could accomplish this feat, it’s probably Minkah Fitzpatrick.

The Steelers safety has a chance to be a legend

Minkah is a very good athlete with uncanny instincts for the safety position. In college, his former head coach, Nick Saban, praised him as being the only player he’s ever coached who was able to play every position in his secondary.

Though the experiment with Minkah as a box safety didn’t turn out well for the Dolphins, very few young players show more promise than Fitzpatrick did at free safety for the Steelers last year. At just 23 years old, Fitzpatrick already earned first-team All-Pro honors. In comparison, Troy Polamalu saw his first All-Pro at 24, while Ed Reed was 26 and Brian Dawkins was 28 when they received their first All-Pro honors.

By these standards, Minkah is already ahead of the game. Studies show that four first-team All-Pros is typically a benchmark for Hall of Fame consideration, and Fitzpatrick is well on his way. Still just 23 years old until mid-November, Fitzpatrick will attempt to nail down his second All-Pro honors in back-to-back years.

Troy Polamalu, Ed Reed, and Brian Dawkins may have played the game in different ways, but they all shared something in common: Unparalleled instincts. This is something that the young Pittsburgh Steelers safety has shown early on. Let’s hope Minkah Fitzpatrick continues to progress at an incredible rate.