It’s not Minkah Fitzpatrick’s fault that the Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coaches don’t know what to do with him. Since trading for Fitzpatrick, Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin seems to have alternated seasons where they let Fitzpatrick play his style of football and followed it up with a season where they handcuffed him to be a run stuffer.
This failing by Austin is why when ESPN asked NFL executives, coaches and scouts to rank their Top 10 safeties in the league, Fitzpatrick fell from No. 1 in 2023 to No. 4 in 2024.
One personnel evaluator hit the nail on the head:
He was playing closer to the line of scrimmage this year — not sure why, maybe they needed his leadership and instincts up there, but it hurt his bottom line.
The hope is that with additions the Steelers made on defense, especially linebacker Patrick Queen, Fitzpatrick can go back to what makes him elite. The coaches did acknowledge it this offseason so this should help them focus their defense on the things their best players do well.
