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: What is Trenton Thompson’s role with Minkah Fitzpatrick set to return?
S Trenton Thompson was essentially introduced to the broader football world over the last two weeks, playing 100 snaps for the Pittsburgh Steelers as a starter (nominally or otherwise). That situation came about due to injuries to Minkah Fitzpatrick and Keanu Neal, but with Fitzpatrick set to return what does that mean for the first-year defender?
Thompson has recorded 11 tackles with an interception and three total passes defensed throughout the past two games. The San Diego State alum did not look like a college free agent out there. But room has to be made for an All-Pro like Fitzpatrick, as goes without saying.
And I don’t think the Steelers are going to bump Damontae Kazee from the starting lineup, either. They re-signed him this offseason for a reason, and he does have two interceptions this year. Another point worth making: it’s hard to judge a safety who’s only really played against Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Jake Browning at quarterback.
Pittsburgh does share an affinity for the three-safety look, however. They haven’t been able to run that nearly as much as they would like in the past month due to Fitzpatrick’s hamstring injury, which caused him to miss the past four games. But with Thompson’s ascension the past two weeks, he could fill that third safety role with Fitzpatrick and Kazee.
Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin acknowledged yesterday that he’s not quite sure what Fitzpatrick’s return means for Thompson—or at least, that’s what he was willing to tell reporters who asked him about it.
But he did say, in so many words, that Thompson proved he belongs, so I’m sure we haven’t seen the last of him on the field when the defense is out there. One final point to make: it’s a very good problem to have when you’re worried about what happens to a flashing depth player as an All-Pro returns to the lineup. A very good problem indeed.
