After being away from the team dealing with a personal matter, star Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick came back to a few surprising new wrinkles.
Connor Heyward got some work at running back, Anthony McFarland Jr. saw some snaps in the slot, Isaiahh Loudermilk played true, standup 3-4 outside linebacker and, most importantly, Kendrick Green saw reps at fullback/H-back for the Steelers, even catching a few passes and running over some defenders in the process.
Though that development might not be something new to Fitzpatrick and other veterans on the roster — Green got some work on scout team late last season as the Steelers prepared for the Baltimore Ravens with Green imitating Baltimore fullback/H-back Patrick Ricard — having to deal with Green in training camp as a defender is not something Fitzpatrick wants any part of.
“I seen it on film and I was like, ‘That’s dangerous!’ Somebody gonna get hurt,” Fitzpatrick said jokingly to reporters Saturday following practice, according to video via 93.7 The Fan. “He’s a big boy. It was funny. He caught a little pass in the flat today and I was like, I definitely don’t wanna be tackling him.”
If Fitzpatrick definitely doesn’t want to be tackling a man the size of Green at roughly 6-foot-1, 300 pounds, imagine how other defensive backs — and even some linebackers — feel.
While he doesn’t have much experience with the football in his hands even with some touches in high school as a fullback, Green is a load in space. He certainly showed that Friday and Saturday, laying the wood to linebackers Toby Ndukwe and Tanner Muse on back-to-back days. As Pittsburgh continues to lean into the bully-ball mentality, Green is seemingly a good fit for it as a fullback/H-back.
He’s good on the move as a pulling blocker and has thrown some thunderous hits in training camp in his new experimental role. It might seem like a bit of a stunt by the Steelers and a feel-good thing overall in camp, but with the way it’s worked so far they might be onto something really solid with Green.
We’ll see if he gets work in preseason action as a fullack/H-back, and it remains to be seen if he even makes the 53-man roster. But it’s a positive development in training camp and is certainly generating a ton of attention. Fitzpatrick knows how dangerous Green can be lumbering downhill at his size.
Maybe Pittsburgh finally has its own version of Ricard in Baltimore. Now that’s dangerous.
