Since arriving in Pittsburgh via trade in 2019, Minkah Fitzpatrick’s presence has transformed the Steelers’ pass defense, helping establish a takeaway-oriented mindset to complement the unit’s already dominant pass rush. In total, across four seasons since coming over from Miami, Fitzpatrick has accounted for 299 tackles, four tackles for losses, two quarterback hits, three forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries (77 return yards), 17 interceptions (383 return yards), 38 passes defended, and four total defensive touchdowns. Arguably the game’s best safety during that stretch, he has been recognized as a first-team All-Pro in three of his four seasons in Pittsburgh.
Nonetheless, for the first time in his Steelers career, Fitzpatrick will be without his longtime running mate and box specialist, Terrell Edmunds, who was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason. Although a relatively limited athlete who struggled to move laterally, Edmunds’ size, physicality, and ability to function as a linebacker in the box allowed Fitzpatrick to flourish while playing predominantly in the post.
All that being said, while the Steelers’ defensive turnaround coincided with T.J. Watt’s return from injury, Damontae Kazee, who returned to the lineup alongside Watt in a Week 10 matchup against New Orleans, flourished in his role as the third safety down the stretch. While Kazee may not be as effective in the box, his superior range, instincts, and ball skills allow him to excel both near the line of scrimmage and when asked to play in the post. His versatility and ability to execute assignments traditionally reserved for Fitzpatrick allowed Tomlin and company to move Fitzpatrick all over the defense, maximizing his ability to impact the game at all levels.
Particularly as Pittsburgh likes to operate out of a two high shell on passing downs, and relies on complex post snap rotations, the tandem should be able to disguise coverages even more effectively, leading to plenty of takeaway opportunities. In total, Kazee played in nine games with four starts, finishing the season with 20 tackles, two interceptions, and two passes defended, but stats don’t encompass his full impact. Today, we’ll be exploring the interchangeability of the safeties’ skill sets, and why Kazee may just be Fitzpatrick’s best running partner to date.
Range and Physicality
Despite lacking prototype size for the position as a former collegiate cornerback, Kazee plays with a physical demeanor and can throw his weight around with the best of him. Here, Kazee is tasked with playing as a deep ½ defender to the boundary side of a Tampa 2 scheme. At the snap, he cheats his alignment down to show quarters posture before pushing off the hash and working to stay on top of both vertical routes while leaning on #2 as he attacks up the seam. While Levi Wallace does a nice job of re-routing and sinking under #1 to force Andy Dalton to put air on the throw, Kazee wastes no time in breaking and closing to the catch point as the quarterback pulls the pin. Arriving at the catch point, Kazee lowers his shoulder and punishes Chris Olave, jarring the football loose in the process. While he is ultimately flagged on the rep, his ability and willingness to serve as a tone setter on the back end is invaluable.
While Fitzpatrick is known for his coverage ability and ball skills, his physicality and consistency as a tackler, both when playing in the box and away from the line of scrimmage, is criminally underrated. Here, with Fitzpatrick playing in the post near the goal-line, he is free to key the quarterback and help on any in-breaking routes.
Wasting no time, Fitzpatrick breaks toward the catch point before Raheem Mostert has even broken inside on his angle route, arriving to lay a physical, and legal hit on the back to jar the football loose. For all of Fitzpatrick’s dynamic playmaking ability in terms of ball production, his ability to serve as a tone setter on the backend helps create a physical identity for Pittsburgh’s entire defensive unit.
Although it’s hard to replicate that textbook hit pictured above, Fitzpatrick’s consistency as a tackler has improved mightily over the past two seasons, helping post a career low in missed tackle rate this season at just 5.0%.
Here, with Pittsburgh aligned in a two high shell pre-snap, showing quarters posture in the secondary, Fitzpatrick is operating as the “strong hook/curl” defender, allowing him to execute a flat foot read and protect the sticks on second and long. At the snap, Fitzpatrick inserts downhill, settling at the sticks before breaking downhill as Zach Wilson pulls the pin on a ball curl route to Garrett Wilson, who catches the pass well short of the sticks.
Before he has any time to turn upfield, Fitzpatrick arrives with a violent form tackle, allowing no opportunity for yards after the catch and forcing a third and medium attempt. Fitzpatrick’s consistency and physicality in the tackling department helps to stop potential explosive runs at the second level and eliminate the threat of yards after the catch. Much of Pittsburgh’s ability to generate takeaways at a high rate centers around their secondary’s ability to eliminate explosive plays with fundamentally sound tackling, forcing offense’s to consistently execute extended drives.
Kazee’s fearless nature as a tackler not only sets a tone for Pittsburgh’s back end alongside Fitzpatrick, but also makes him interchangeable with his counterpart, whether playing in the box or in the post. Specifically when asked to play in the post, Kazee’s fearlessness and decisiveness make him an effective last line of defense, more than capable of stopping explosive plays from turning into touchdowns.
Here, Kazee operates as the post safety in a Cover 1 scheme, with Fitzpatrick down in the box playing man coverage on Darren Waller. After a rare coverage mishap from Fitzpatrick, Kazee plants and drives on the dig route. Taking a solid angle and closing ground efficiently to arrive, he cuts down the talented tight end before he can turn upfield and look for yards after the catch.
While Kazee’s reckless tackling style, particularly at his size, lends itself to shoulder injuries, his ability to convert speed to power, rather than coming to balance, makes him a violent hitter at the point of contact. Thus, while Pittsburgh loses a unique box safety body type in Terrell Edmunds, entering next season, their current duo provides a unique blend of range, decisiveness, and physicality that should allow for plenty of creativity from Tomlin, Austin, and company.
Instincts and Ball Skills
It should be no secret to any Steelers fan that for all of Terrell Edmunds strengths, his lack of ball skills, raw movement skills in coverage, and takeaway production ultimately capped his value at the NFL level. While he was able to carve out a nice role in Pittsburgh, he was often relegated to box work in sub-packages, as he lacked the range and ball skills to provide high level play on the backend.
While not possessing the same frame and freakish athletic traits as Minkah Fitzpatrick, Damontae Kazee, who led the league in interceptions back in 2018, has the ball skills and coverage instincts to rival those of his All-Pro counterpart. Both players have great hands, a nose for the football, and a knack for cashing tips and overthrows into takeaways.
Here, with Pittsburgh playing from a Cover 2 man under look, Kazee is tasked with providing vertical help in the deep ½ to the boundary, allowing the underneath man coverage defenders to undercut any in/out breaking routes. At the snap, Kazee pedals for depth, allowing himself to play top down on all routes while reading Andy Dalton.
As Dalton declares his shoulders and pulls the pin on a pass intended for Jarvis Landry, Kazee plants and drives downhill, putting himself in position to secure an impressive interception in a tip-drill scenario.
As for Minkah’s ball skills, the production speaks for itself. He consistently plays through the whistle and has a knack for putting himself in position to maximize his opportunities to generate takeaways on tips and overthrows.
For every highlight takeaway that Minkah creates, he has countless equally impressive reps where his instincts and ball skills put him in position to affect the game. Coming off a career high with six interceptions this past season, it is not unthinkable to think Minkah could approach double digits next year with more pressured throws behind a front seven led by the healthy TJ Watt.
Thus, while Pittsburgh undoubtedly lost one of the best pure box safeties in the league in Terrell Edmunds, what they gain in a new-look tandem of Minkah Fitzpatrick and Damontae Kazee could produce fruitful results if both remain healthy. Kazee’s ability to replicate Minkah’s range, ball skills, and physicality on the back end should make them far more interchangeable in their roles than has ever been the case during Minkah’s tenure in Pittsburgh.
Particularly entering a season with wholesale changes at the cornerback position, and the likely integration of a rookie, Joey Porter Jr, into a prominent sub-package role, the Steelers new-look safety tandem will be relied upon to serve as a stabilizing force in the secondary. If Pittsburgh is ultimately able to make the playoffs, and have a chance at securing their first playoff victory since 2016, a dominant defensive season, led by the safety tandem of Minkah Fitzpatrick and Damontae Kazee, will be at the forefront.
