In this week’s Gimme Him, we turn our attention to the roster of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Choosing a player to steal, please excuse my pun, became much easier after hearing about the unfortunate loss of Cameron Heyward for a couple of weeks. The veteran tackle suffered a hamstring injury in their game against the 49ers. Cameron Heyward has been a thorn in the side of the Cleveland Browns for well over a decade.
Sometimes, it feels like longer – and when one can truly handle the suffering when watching a Steeler dominate – one hopes that it’s for even longer. For the Steelers, Heyward hasn’t been a rose, but a mountain. He has been one of the premier strongmen of the NFL while still being incredibly agile. His four All-Pro teams, including three first-team, tell us how productive he is. If he wasn’t hurt, I think I would take him for this experiment.
Instead, it’s a two-man race between T.J. Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick. The Steelers have a pair of intriguing players on offense. George Pickens Jr., the second-year wide receiver, and rookie tight end Darnell Washington. But they’re far too inexperienced for serious consideration. It’s Tomlin’s defense that makes their team a threat.
TJ Watt and Myles Garrett have been in a race since they were drafted. So far, TJ Watt has outgained Myles in some accumulating stats, leading to TJ winning Defensive Player of the Year in 2021. While I believe TJ Watt is one of the most talented pass rushers in the NFL, I think he’s been outside of Myles Garrett’s tier. For a period, that echelon included Von Miller, and now it includes Nick Bosa and Micah Parsons. Nothing against Watt, I just see him as the first man out. I think he gets more schematic advantages, whether it’s various matchup types, roles, and responsibilities the Steelers have done a fantastic job at maximizing his talents. That’s not his fault, but it is the reason I’m not selecting him.
Minkah Fitzpatrick is my Gimme Him pick. I knew it almost immediately. Minkah Fitzpatrick is a three-time first-team All-Pro. His career has been legacy-defining since he started as a true freshman at Alabama. I’ve never heard former Browns defensive coordinator, Nick Saban, glow about a player when he talks, except whenever he talks about Minkah Fitzpatrick. He is still their golden example. Minkah could play every position and has the mind of a seasoned coach. How his career played out would be obvious. After his first All-Pro, the safety was traded to the Steelers in his third season. The rest is history. I was devastated. I still am. Let me right this wrong by selecting last year’s interception leader.
Minkah Fitzpatrick in the brown and orange would officially turn Cleveland Browns Stadium into a No-Fly Zone. Jim Schwartz could get further into his bag of plays with the best free safety in the NFL. There is nothing on the field Minkah Fitzpatrick can’t do… besides tackle Nick Chubb. He can patrol the field in the deep third, cover wide receivers in the slot, and can even bully tight ends from the box. He still is the complete package. His sideline-to-sideline speed and unrivaled football IQ are the closest thing we have to Ed Reed. The Browns would have a historically good defense with him on the field. I think they would be a hypercharged legion of boom. Not even Patrick Mahomes could throw more than two touchdown passes against that defense.
What do you think, Browns’ fans? Would you take Minkah Fitzpatrick or TJ Watt? Let us know!
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