4 reasons why Steelers fans should be worried about Minkah Fitzpatrick
By Tommy Jaggi
The Steelers secondary has been the weakest spot on their team
In 2019, the Steelers secondary looked as good as it did in the early 2000s. Steven Nelson and Joe Haden were playing above-average while Mike Hilton was a difference-maker at nickel cornerback. However, Minkah Fitzpatrick was by far their most important piece in the secondary.
On any given game last year, you could run back the tape and see that Minkah was the engine that made that secondary run. This year, you probably wouldn’t come away with the same conclusion.
Despite earning the league’s 3rd best pass defense last season, Pittsburgh currently sits at 12th in the league in passing yards surrendered, 31st in passing first down percentage, and 13th in yards per pass attempt, according to Team Rankings. All of this despite having a front seven that has been utterly dominant at both getting pressure and shutting down the run this season.
With a solid core of player in the secondary, Minkah was expected to headline this list, but he hasn’t done much to even set himself apart from Edmunds at this point. This secondary needs to become a strength again soon, and it needs to start with Fitzpatrick.