The Pittsburgh Steelers made a large commerce on Monday, sending Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Miami Dolphins in alternate for Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith. To date, the opinions have been all over. Whereas we gained’t know the winner of the commerce till everybody takes the sector, Mike Florio appears to suppose the Steelers are getting the higher finish of the deal. He additionally believes one thing was off between Fitzpatrick and the Steelers final 12 months.
“I noticed someone arguing yesterday that the Dolphins obtained the higher finish of the deal, as a result of they obtained Minkah Fitzpatrick,” Florio mentioned on Professional Soccer Discuss on Tuesday. “Look, one thing was off with the Steelers and Minkah Fitzpatrick final 12 months. When you take note of the Steelers, you understand that there was one thing that wasn’t proper. And this will likely have labored out completely for the Steelers. Simply wait ’til the best second… The Steelers seize each of them [Ramsey and Smith], and unload a man [Fitzpatrick] that possibly the window had closed on his general effectiveness there.”
Given the soundness he’s offered to the Steelers’ protection through the years, shedding Fitzpatrick is a troublesome tablet to swallow. You don’t should look additional than Cam Heyward to comprehend that. Nevertheless, the Steelers do have their causes for doing so.
Minkah Fitzpatrick will flip 29 in the course of the upcoming season, so it’s not as if he’s tremendous outdated. Nevertheless, his sport has taken a step again over the past two years. After making turnovers an indicator of his sport, Fitzpatrick had no interceptions in 2023 and only one in 2024. He was additionally a part of a protection that struggled with miscommunications in the course of the closing stretch of the 2024 season. Whereas he wasn’t sure, Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo did level to these communication points as a attainable cause for Fitzpatrick being moved.
Whether or not he was the rationale for these issues or not, his move protection was an issue. Minkah Fitzpatrick allowed completions on 78.8-percent of the balls thrown his method. He additionally gave up a 127.6 passer score when focused. Every of these is a career-worst mark for Fitzpatrick, by a good margin. As stout as he’s towards the run, he wasn’t doing a lot towards the move, and wasn’t creating turnovers both. That, plus the truth that DeShon Elliott had such a very good season final 12 months, made him extra expendable.
Whether or not the Steelers win this commerce or not stays to be seen. Nevertheless it does make some sense. In Ramsey, they get a way more versatile defender, and Jonnu Smith is simply as versatile on the offensive facet of the ball. The Steelers have a historical past of transferring on from gamers on the proper time. We’ll see if Fitzpatrick finally ends up being one other instance.
