The Steelers’ trade of Minkah Fitzpatrick for Jalen Ramsey was a defining moment of the offseason; so how’s it going? During his weekly press conference Tuesday, HC Mike Tomlin addressed a question in that vein. Fitzpatrick was an All-Pro player for Pittsburgh, and they’re now set to see him on the opposite sideline. Not only was he a leader on the field, he also made an impact in the locker room.
“I don’t think we’re devoid of leadership by any means. Certainly, we’ve gone through some adjustments schematically in terms of how we divide the labor up, but it’s not exclusive to him”, Tomlin said of Fitzpatrick since they traded him, via the Steelers’ website. He brought up the obvious injury to DeShon Elliott, but also Miles Killebrew, even if the latter rarely played defense.
With Minkah Fitzpatrick’s impact plays growing fewer while allowing more big plays, the Steelers decided they wanted to make a change—if the right opportunity game along. Tomlin and company jumped at the chance to trade for Jalen Ramsey, though that hasn’t worked out entirely as planned. Originally envisioned as a roving chess piece, he struggled in man coverage before moving to safety out of necessity.
“That’s why we’re really excited about having Jalen Ramsey with his position flexibility, his ability to play outside corner, nickel, and safety”, Tomlin said about what the Steelers got in return for Fitzpatrick. “We envision that being a big-time asset in terms of keeping people off balance from a matchup standpoint. In recent weeks, we haven’t been afforded that because of some of the other things I mentioned, and we’re thankful he’s been rock solid for us at safety as well”.
The Steelers signed Juan Thornhill long before they traded Minkah Fitzpatrick. Later on, they signed Chuck Clark and also added Jabrill Peppers in-season. They hoped that trio of aging veterans could fill the void. After Elliott’s season-ending injury, all plans flew out the window. The Steelers not only moved Jalen Ramsey to safety, they traded for Kyle Dugger.
Now, still having Minkah Fitzpatrick wouldn’t have prevented DeShon Elliott’s injury. They wouldn’t have had to trade for Kyle Dugger, though, yet they may have still wanted to anyway. Even in Miami, Fitzpatrick isn’t strictly a safety, also playing in the slot, even blitzing. Basically, what they envisioned for Ramsey, though neither have found the fountain of youth and returned to peak performance.
Both Fitzpatrick and Ramsey are having fine seasons, not spectacular, with some highs and lows. The former had one of the rarest plays in football, a two-point conversion attempt returned the other way. And he also recorded the first sack of his career, which he never managed in Pittsburgh.
On the whole, Fitzpatrick is playing better than he had his past couple years with the Steelers. Not back to his All-Pro level, but perhaps good enough. And Pittsburgh, I would imagine, also wishes Ramsey offered just a bit more than he has. But on the whole, it was probably an even trade. Better than a fifth-round pick for Jonnu Smith.