Buy Or Sell: Minkah Fitzpatrick will resume his All-Pro play in 2024.
Explanation: Typically a perennial All-Pro, Minkah Fitzpatrick earned only an honorary Pro Bowl nod in 2023. He didn’t deserve it, having played in only 10 games with zero interceptions due to injury. Like T.J. Watt the previous season, he got in based on his reputation. But much of how his 2023 season played out had nothing to do with things in his control.
Buy:
As was the case in 2021 when he didn’t even make the Pro Bowl, Minkah Fitzpatrick played better last year than many seem to realize. Sure, he wasn’t around the ball in the air as much as one would have hoped but blame the scheme. The Steelers asked him to play closer to the line of scrimmage because that’s where they needed him.
With the addition of DeShon Elliott, Fitzpatrick should be more free to play his own game. And the odds of him having a series of injuries again like last year are low. As long as the defense stays healthy, which we can’t predict, there’s no reason he shouldn’t have a typical year. And his “typical” over the course of his Steelers career has meant All-Pro play and the corresponding recognition.
Sell:
Playing with three (or rather four) different safeties in three seasons probably isn’t doing Minkah Fitzpatrick any favors. He had a strong connection with Terrell Edmunds before 2023. Last year, he dealt with a combination of Damontae Kazee and Keanu Neal, and the chemistry wasn’t there. The Steelers brought in Elliott, but will Kazee still rotate in? They like their three-safety looks.
Then we have to address the obvious, which is that All-Pro is a high standard to maintain. Fitzpatrick is far from an old man—he’ll turn 28 this season—but a lot of players stack awards early in their careers. That seems to be true more for defensive backs than most positions due to the degradation of athleticism.
Plus, the defensive line doesn’t look like it’ll be any better. While they have Joey Porter Jr., you’re counting on the avoidance of a sophomore slump. And Donte Jackson is a feast-or-famine cornerback whom Fitzpatrick may need to babysit. With no current slot cornerback, he’ll probably have to absorb some of that role as well, taking him away from more impact opportunities.
With the Steelers’ 2023 season in the rearview mirror following a disappointing year that came up short in the playoffs once again, it’s time to start asking more questions. Questions about the team’s future in 2024 and beyond. Questions about The Standard.
The rookie class of a year ago was on the whole impressive, but they need to step up into staple starters in 2024. And they likely need a strong influx of talent in both free agency and in the 2024 NFL Draft yet again. In addition to a revisitation of the coaching staff.
These sorts of uncertainties are what I will look to address in our Buy or Sell series. In each installment, I will introduce a topic statement and weigh some of the arguments for either buying it (meaning that you agree with it or expect it to be true) or selling it (meaning you disagree with it or expect it to be false).
