For the first time since the Pittsburgh Steelers traded him, Minkah Fitzpatrick will return to Acrisure Stadium to the place where he became a multiple time All-Pro and one of the safeties in the NFL.
Fitzpatrick, who still plays some free safety, has moved down to nickel cornerback, the spot he played at Alabama. The Steelers have him on their radar as they prepare for their matchup against the Dolphins.
Yet, Fitzpatrick is not saying much about going up to Pittsburgh and facing his former team.
“The only reason why it’s a big week this week is because we got a game, and we got to win it,” Fitzpatrick said.
This season, Fitzpatrick has maintained high-level form, and has 76 tackles along with an interception, a sack, and a forced fumble to his resume. The Steelers knew trading him for Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith would be a risk, and he has become the chess piece of the Dolphins secondary.
Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith acknowledged that Fitzpatrick will be a great player on the other side of the ball they will have to contend with this week.
“Minkah was with us in the offseason. I got a lot of respect for Minkah. You know, talk about solid guy that brings it every day, and you can tell the impact he’s had and things they’ve asked him to do. Whether it’s playing in the slot on third down, obviously, safety stuff, he does a lot of things for them. Smart player. Puts a lot of time in. Studies. You know, that was some of the conversations. Just my time with Minkah and just watching him from afar, he’ll be a challenge. There are a lot of great players every Sunday.That’s the beauty of the NFL,” Smith said.
Fitzpatrick might not say it out loud, but Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver said the win over the Steelers would ‘mean a lot’ to the former Steelers safety.
As the two sides meet this week, looking back on the contentious trade of Fitzpatrick this offseason tells the story of the Steelers’ season.