Minkah Fitzpatrick had an interesting last couple of years, which culminated in his being moved to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith. Part of the reason Fitzpatrick was moved is his lack of production the past two seasons, but that isn’t stopping Ray Fittpaldo from thinking he could have a good season with Miami in 2025.
“For whatever reason, it just didn’t work the last two seasons,” Fittipaldo said on 93.7 The Fan on Friday. “And you know, that can happen too. It can just be circumstances, who you’re playing with, the way the league has trended…I would not be surprised, just with a change of scenery, maybe a different coach, maybe somebody sees a different way to utilize him. I would not be surprised at all if Minkah had another really good season down in Miami this year.”
Fitzpatrick certainly still does many things well. During the 2024 season, he had 96 tackles, tied for the second-most in a single season in his career. He also missed just four tackles the entire year, a steady final line of defense.
However, while stopping the run wasn’t an issue, things were more bleak against the pass. Fitzpatrick just wasn’t able to stop much of anything coming his way. He allowed a completion rate of 78.8-percent and a 127.6 passer rating when targeted. Each of those are his worst marks in his career in those categories and by a wide margin.
Most alarming was his lack of interceptions. Since coming to Pittsburgh, Minkah Fitzpatrick has made his money by taking the ball away. He did that exceptionally well as recently as 2022, leading the league with six interceptions. However, he had none in 2023 and just one in 2024. While he was still great against the run, the Steelers didn’t think he was worth it anymore since he wasn’t creating turnovers.
That said, Fittipaldo doesn’t think that’s entirely his fault.
“When he was making his All Pros, he was able to sit back and read the quarterback, and make game-changing plays,” Fittipaldo said. “And now the game’s changed to a point where teams are not taking those deep, down the field shots as often as they used to. And it’s kind of become a game that’s played between the 20s more so than over the top.”
Fittipaldo’s not wrong that teams have been straying away from the deep ball. More and more defenses are playing with two-high safeties to limit big-play aerial attacks. Quarterback play is certainly not at its peak across the league, and offensive lines aren’t especially impressive either. Against two-high safeties, those factors limit the risks some offenses are willing to take.
Yet, 52 passes went Fitzpatrick’s way last year, and 41 were caught. It’s not like defenses were completely avoiding him.
Considering everything, Fittipaldo may be right. Sometimes players just need a change of scenery. Things clearly weren’t working in Pittsburgh, but for Minkah Fitzpatrick’s sake, hopefully, he can return to his former self with his former team, Miami.
Recommended for you