UPDATE: Fitzpatrick received reps in 7 on 7 drills.
UPDATE: Fitzpatrick went through individual drills but did not take part in the first team portion of camp, per Kozora.
The Pittsburgh Steelers safety room appears to be getting close to back to full strength. In addition to Damontae Kazee returning to practice, fellow safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, who has yet to practice during camp this season, is back at practice today. Alex Kozora reports that Fitzpatrick is on the field.
Fitzpatrick missed the first two days of camp and then was excused from the team to handle a personal matter. But he’s back on Saturday, practicing alongside Kazee, who returned today after an injury during last Saturday’s practice.
Pittsburgh’s safety lines in camp were getting a bit thin with Fitzpatrick, Kazee and safety Keanu Neal all missing varying amounts of time due to injury/personal issues. But with Fitzpatrick and Kazee back (Neal is still out), the Steelers defense should be ready to rock at full strength.
Fitzpatrick is an All-Pro and one of the most important pieces of Pittsburgh’s team. Having him back at practice and ready to ramp up for the start of the season is massive for a team that is going to need to win with a good defense in 2023.
It’s going to feel good having Fitzpatrick back and ready to go, and hopefully his personal matter was able to be resolved and he can turn his focus to the Steelers now. He’s one of the best players in all of football, and his presence alone makes the Steelers a better team since opposing offenses need to be aware of where he is at all times. I’m excited to see him back at practice and especially excited to see his impact in 2023.
