Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick has not forced a turnover since 2022. He is being paid handsomely to be the team’s roaming free safety, and while the Steelers have maintained belief that Fitzpatrick’s splash plays will come, they have not just yet.
Then, Fitzpatrick has allowed a few more big plays over the last few weeks than usual. What is going on with the team’s star safety?
Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin has some thoughts on the critics of Fitzpatrick this season, stating that most people do not realize how much he does for the Steelers on the back end of their defense.
“He does so much for us. I know sometimes we all want splash, we all like splash. But a lot of the things that he does that allow us to line up and play another play and have an opportunity to stop people, that’s immense in terms of us keeping people out of the end zone and doing different things. We love the splash, but he really does make us all better all around in the back. You know, there will be some throws down the middle, but not a whole lot. There will be some stuff that gets out because it’s the NFL, but he does a great job. He’s run a couple things down this year and given us an opportunity to keep them out of the end zone," Austin said.
Fitzpatrick has felt antsy about the lack of splash plays himself. He even admitted to pushing a little bit to try and make some plays, but that has sometimes burned him. The Steelers know that Fitzpatrick can be a ballhawk, but instead, those plays are going to others like Donte Jackson.
Whether that play will come soon enough, Fitzpatrick might want to see it come just to take the weight off his shoulders. Either way, the Steelers do not agree with the outside opinion that Fitzpatrick has struggled.
