Steelers Star Defender Could Leave Via Trade

The Pittsburgh Steelers could be on a magical run. Sitting at 6-2 and in first place in the AFC North, they've won with both backup quarterback Justin Fields and starter Russell Wilson.

Coach Mike Tomlin may want to take advantage of Tuesday's trade deadline to tweak the roster for a deep postseason run.

The Athletic's Mike DeFabo thinks Pittsburgh could make some moves on defense, and see what they could get in exchange for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.

"If I’m the Steelers, I take a hard look at this position group in the offseason," DeFabo wrote. "Many teams pinch pennies at safety, feeling that they’re often interchangeable. Look at how much value DeShon Elliott has provided for a fraction of the investment. Fitzpatrick still has a strong reputation around the league. 

"If he isn’t producing much splash, it’s really not the craziest idea to see how much another team would offer in a trade and whether the Steelers could fill this role with a more cost-conscious solution."

Fitzpatrick's numbers have dipped in the last two seasons, and the Steelers might shop him while his value is still fairly high.

Over his first four seasons, Fitzpatrick totaled 17 interceptions with three going for touchdowns, four fumble recoveries, and three forced fumbles. He co-led the league in interceptions in 2022.

But since the beginning of 2023, he's struggled and has yet to record a turnover of any kind over his past 18 games.

"Fitzpatrick is playing a lot better than the raw turnover numbers would suggest," DeFabo wrote. "He’s a reliable tackler and a deterrent when he’s in the middle of the field, which I think is part of the reason why the rest of the DBs have so many PBUs and INTs. So by no means is he playing poorly."

Fitzpatrick carries cap hits of $22.355 million and $24.455 million over the next two seasons and would no doubt love to remove that figure from their books while also gaining a little bit of draft capital at the same time.