Tag: Minkah Fitzpatrick

Browns safety defends Steelers’ Minkah Fitzpatrick over season-ending Nick Chubb injury

Nick Chubb’s teammates have come to the defense of Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.

Cleveland Browns Nick Chubb is six months removed from a devastating knee injury that sidelined him for the 2023 season and required two surgeries.

Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick was in on the tackle and calls of “dirty player” erupted from media and fans in the days and weeks after.

Browns defensive end Myles Garrett defended Fitzpatrick the week following the injury and, most recently, safety D’Anthony Bell did the same.

“I don’t think it was a dirty hit ’cause I don’t think he intentionally tried to do that,” Bell said on the My Dawgs Podcast. “A lot of people like fans; they ain’t never been in the position where you are in full pads trying to tackle Nick Chubb. You ain’t never been in that position, going through the hole, and you see Nick Chubb right in front of you. That’s not an easy thing to execute. I think he was just trying to make a tackle on Chubb and it ended up happening.”

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Steelers open to bringing back CB Patrick Peterson

Mike Tomlin said the team could bring Patrick Peterson back at some point.

One of the big offseason moves the Pittsburgh Steelers made was the release of veteran cornerback Patrick Peterson to help save the team money. When it first happened, we speculated that Peterson would be a prime candidate to return to the team at a later date and on a more cap-friendly deal.

On Sunday, head coach Mike Tomlin addressed the media about the offseason while attending the NFL Annual Meeting in Orlando and basically said the same thing.

Tomlin said the team was open to bringing Peterson back at a later date. Peterson’s best days as a shutdown cornerback may be behind him but when the team moved him to safety last season to cover injuries, he played well.

Pittsburgh signed safety DeShon Elliott as a free agent and should start next to Minkah Fitzpatrick but bringing Peterson back would give the Steelers a great three-man safety rotation.

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Steelers 2024 offseason roster – Safeties

Here is a look at the Steelers current group of safeties.

Last season the safety position was a nightmare for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Much like inside linebacker, the Steelers were hit hard with losses at safety which often forced some unusual pairings in the secondary.  Here is a look at the safeties on the roster heading into free agency.

Patrick Peterson wants to finish career with Steelers

The Steelers could move Patrick Peterson to safety full time in 2024.

The Pittsburgh Steelers plan to replace cornerback Cameron Sutton with Patrick Peterson didn’t quite go according to plan last season. The addition of Patrick Peterson didn’t give the Steelers the lockdown cornerback they hoped for but thankfully the emergence of Joey Porter Jr. really helped.

But not the Steelers are faced with an interesting personnel choice. Peterson will turn 34 before the start of the season and has a cap hit of $9.775 million this season. Pittsburgh hasn’t given any indication about Peterson’s future but the future Hall of Famer wants to stay.

“The question is if the Steelers want me to finish with them,” Peterson said during his podcast. “I signed a two-year deal for a reason.”

The simplest solution might be to move Peterson to safety. Injuries forced the move last season and he played well. A safety tandem of Peterson and Minkah Fitzpatrick doesn’t sound like such a bad idea if the Steelers address cornerback via free agency or the draft.

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Steelers S Minkah Fitzpatrick given Bart Starr Award for character and leadership

Minkah Fitzpatrick is one of the true leaders in the NFL.

No player in the NFL epitomizes professionalism and leadership like Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. This mentality was awarded on Saturday at the annual Super Bowl breakfast when Fitzpatrick was given the Bart Starr Award.

Here is how the award was described by co-chairman of the Breakfast and former NFL head coach Tony Dungy.

“The award is given every year to an NFL player, and that player is selected by his peers, by the rest of the players in the NFL. And it’s not for accolades on the field, it’s the best representation of character and leadership, first in the home, then on the field and in the community.”

Fitzpatrick, forever showing humility was honored to win the award.

‘I’m honored to win this award,” Fitzpatrick said. “It surprised me that I won this award because there was a lot that I learned about myself, that I need to continue to grow, continue to develop.”

During the 2023 season, when things were unraveling on the team, Fitzpatrick was the voice we heard the loudest saying all the right things and doing his best to keep the team focused and on track. Fitzpatrick’s 2023 season not up to his standards due to circumstances out of his control but he is the last player you will ever hear complain.

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Steelers final 2024 stats – Defense

Here is how the Steelers top defenders finished statistically.

Defensively, the Pittsburgh Steelers were an inconsistent, banged-up group in 2023. The unit as a whole endured so many injuries and still figured out a way to be sixth in the NFL in scoring, which is to be applauded. Here is how the player stats broke down for the top defenders from last season.

Oklahoma offers one of nation’s top 2026 defensive backs in Justice Fitzpatrick

Oklahoma offered five-star 2026 prospect Justice Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick is the younger brother of NFL star Minkah Fitzpatrick.

Oklahoma has been on an offer spree in January, and it’s very apparent the Sooners are attempting to build their recruiting board for 2025 while also starting to piece together their board for the 2026 class.

While the class of 2025 is the next up, relationships start years before they become seniors, which rings true as the Sooners’ offer 2026 five-star defensive back Justice Fitzpatrick.

Fitzpatrick is already a composite five-star across the primary recruiting services and is ranked in the top 30 on most recruiting websites.

He stands six feet tall now and showcases a level of feel and understanding for football beyond his years. He’s played both cornerback and safety in his two years at the high school level. He is also a track participant and is the brother of one of the best defensive backs in the NFL, Minkah Fitzpatrick.

He is already a state title winner at St. Thomas Aquinas, one of the most well-known football programs in the country. Alabama, his brother’s alma mater, has yet to offer, but some heavy hitters, including Oklahoma, have entered the pursuit for the talented and versatile defensive back.

Justice Fitzpatrick’s Recruiting Profile

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Steelers, Bills have 8 former Dolphins wild-card matchup

Former Dolphins who will play in Steelers-Bills wild-card game.

The Miami Dolphins have been eliminated from the postseason following their 27-6 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday night.

So, while Dolphins fans prepare for the offseason, there are a number of former Dolphins who are still playing for a Super Bowl championship that they can support.

On Monday, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills are set to battle in a wild-card matchup of their own, and there are eight former Dolphins on their rosters and practice squads.

Here’s a look at which players who once donned the aqua and orange will play in this one:

Bills vs. Steelers: Injury updates for star defenders TJ Watt, Minkah Fitzpatrick

#Bills vs. #Steelers: Injury updates for star defenders TJ Watt, Minkah Fitzpatrick:

The Pittsburgh Steelers have one star on their defense trending in one way ahead of facing the Buffalo Bills in the upcoming 2023 Wild-Card round… and another big name heading in the other direction.

Starting with the bad news for the Steelers (10-7), Pittsburgh will be without TJ Watt against the Bills (11-5), according to Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.

With 19 sacks, Watt is again the league’s sack leader for the third time four seasons. That’s a huge loss. He injured his knee in Pittsburgh’s season finale.

Clearly one of the NFL’s best defensive players, the pass rusher has caused havoc against Buffalo in his career with 2.5 sacks, nine QB hits, three tackles for loss, two passes defended and two forced fumbles in four games played.

On the flip side, there was optimism from Tomlin regarding All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (knee) per Steelers Wire. Fitzpatrick has missed Pittsburgh’s last three games and could be back to travel up to Buffalo.

Time will tell… as will the injury reports.

Bills Wire will provide injury updates for both teams ahead of their Wild-Card matchup throughout the coming week.

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Steelers HC Mike Tomlin optimistic to have Minkah Fitzpatrick vs Bills

The Steelers hope to get Minkah Fitzpatrick back this week.

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin addressed the media on Tuesday ahead of this week’s playoff game against the Buffalo Bills. In his press conference, it was a mix of good and bad news. Tomlin ruled out outside linebacker T.J. Watt this week with a knee injury but also indicated he’s optimistic that safety Minkah Fitzpatrick will be back after recovering from a knee injury of his own.

The Steelers have had a long list of issues at safety this season. Aside from Fitzpatrick’s injury, Keanu Neal is on IR and Damontae Kazee was suspended. This week it looks like Pittsburgh could get Fitzpatrick and Kazee back and not a moment too soon.

During their absences, the Steelers have gotten some solid production from Patrick Peterson and Eric Rowe. Rowe in particular has been great and could keep Kazee out of the starting lineup this week. The return of Fitzpatrick could also allow Peterson to go back to cornerback.

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