The Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense has a ton of talent entering the 2024 season, especially after a whirlwind offseason that saw Steelers’ GM Omar Khan add some big names on both sides of the ball, including linebacker Patrick Queen, safety DeShon Elliott, and cornerback Donte Jackson.
On paper, the Steelers look like they could have a great defense, even better than a unit that was very good in several metrics last season.
But for this season’s defense to reach that level, there is one player everything hinges on defensively for ESPN’s Mina Kimes.
That would be veteran safety and perennial All-Pro player Minkah Fitzpatrick.
In the latest episode of “The Mina Kimes Show,” where she and guest Robert Mays from The Athletic broke down the AFC North, Kimes cited Fitzpatrick as the key to everything for a Steelers’ defense that, while it appears loaded on paper, has some concerns with depth and overall stylistic fit.
None of that will matter, though, if Fitzpatrick returns to his elite-level play.
“I think for me, if Minkah returns to like Minkah Fitzpatrick form, then I have no — even if there’s some question marks at linebacker and corner — I have no doubt this is a top-end defense,” Kimes said of the Steelers star safety, according to video via her YouTube page. “If that dude plays like one of the five best safeties in the NFL, it’s fine because when he’s at his best, he is such a fireman. Like he puts it out, he just compensates for so many issues you potentially have on the backend.
“And when you think about some of the potentially high-flying offenses you’re going against in the AFC and in your own division, then he has his ability to affect games is really important.”
The 2023 season was tough for Minkah Fitzpatrick, who battled injuries all season and went the entire year without recording a turnover, a far cry from his past performances.
He played in just 10 games, suffering a hamstring injury early in the Week 8 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, causing him to miss the next four games. Once he returned to the lineup for the Steelers in Week 13 against the Arizona Cardinals, he ended up breaking his hand, playing through the injury.
Two weeks later, against the Indianapolis Colts, Fitzpatrick suffered a knee injury, knocking him out of the 30-13 loss and eventually ending his regular season, though he did return for the Wild Card loss to the Bills.
Dealing with that many injuries, though, while also having to move around quite a bit to help cover for deficiencies in other areas, led to a quiet season from Minkah Fitzpatrick. He had 64 tackles, which is really solid in 10 regular-season games, but he didn’t have the ball productivity many have become accustomed to so far in his career.
Now, entering the 2024 season with improved talent around him, especially in the secondary, with the likes of Elliott and Jackson, Fitzpatrick shouldn’t have to move around as much and wear as many hats. Depth remains a concern behind the starters, and there are questions about the fit of Queen next to Elandon Roberts as both linebackers have struggled in coverage in their careers.
But if Minkah Fitzpatrick returns to his All-Pro level of play, none of that will really matter, as Kimes points out. He’s a complete eraser, one that covers up for mistakes and is a huge game-changing piece.
For the Steelers’ defense to play at the level it wants to play at, it needs its star safety, arguably the best player on the team, to get back to that elite level once again.
