The Steelers are now back at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, facing down a long regular season that looks a lot more promising given how things have gone leading up to it. Finishing just above .500 last year, they anticipate being able to compete with any team in the league this season with second-year QB Kenny Pickett leading the way.
They’ve done a great deal to address what they identified as their shortcomings during the offseason, which included addressing the offensive and defensive lines as well as the secondary and the inside linebacker room, which is nearly entirely different from last year. The results have been positive so far.
Even well into the regular season and beyond, there are going to be plenty of questions that need answered. When will the core rookies get to play, or even start? Is the depth sufficient where they upgraded? Can they stand toe-to-toe with the Bengals and the other top teams in the league? We’ll try to frame the conversation in relevant ways as long as you stick with us throughout the season, as we have for many years.
Question: Will Minkah Fitzpatrick finally make it back from injury this week?
The Steelers defense has not played even one complete game at full capacity this year, which is particularly significant given that no stars have suffered season-ending injuries. But Cameron Heyward was injured in the opener, and by the time he got back Minkah Fitzpatrick was sidelined.
While they are fortunate to not have had to do without the NFL’s leading sack leader in T.J. Watt, Fitzpatrick’s absence sure has been notable. Sure, three other safeties have recorded interceptions during his absence while he has zero on the season, but games are not played on the back of a football card. Let’s just say his spot in the starting lineup isn’t under threat.
Suffering a hamstring injury early in the loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, he has missed the past four games. It was assumed that he would return sooner than that, given that the team did not place him on the Reserve/Injured List, but soft tissue injuries are tricky and difficult to predict.
The fact of the matter is that he hasn’t even returned to practice yet. He had been seen jogging previously before a game or two, but there has been no other confirmation of his status. It seems rather clear that the team did not anticipate this particular timeline.
Over the past couple of weeks, head coach Mike Tomlin has made allusions to potentialities and expectations for Fitzpatrick’s return to practice. None has come to fruition so far. S Damontae Kazee recently indicated that they do expect him to return this week, but that remains to be seen.
That would be significant if only for depth alone as Keeanu Neal, the other safety who was a part of their original trio, actually is on the Reserve/Injured List. Kazee started the last game with undrafted free agent Trenton Thompson—who did have a key interception. But that won’t make anybody change their minds about Fitzpatrick.
