Entering the season, Minkah Fitzpatrick talked about getting back to “Minkah ball,” and defensive coordinator Teryl Austin talked about putting him in better positions to make splash plays. While I think Fitzpatrick has played well overall, he hasn’t returned to making the splash plays that defined the first five seasons of his career.
His last interception was 20 games ago, or more if you count the games that he was inactive. It was Week 17 on Jan. 1, 2023, against the Baltimore Ravens at the tail end of the 2022 season.
Who was around in the secondary the last time Fitzpatrick made splash plays routinely? That would be CB Cam Sutton, who is back from his eight-week suspension for the final stretch of the season. Mike Tomlin reminded everybody during the Mike Tomlin Show that Sutton has a history of freeing up Fitzpatrick to move around a little more.
“The thing about Cam is his versatility, man. He’s a utility back. He’s played outside corner, he’s played inside corner. He’s played safety. He’s played dime. And I really think that’s the value in him, particularly at the early stages of working him back into the fold. His ability to fit in wherever needed is really, really important to us,” Tomlin said in a video on the Steelers’ YouTube page. “People always assume that it’s he or Beanie [Bishop]. It could be him and Beanie, to be quite honest with you.
“…So it’s more about positioning Cam to be effective, playing the jersey game, if you will. In the past he’s allowed Minkah to move around some because he’s an interchangeable part with Minkah.”
Not to confuse correlation with causation here, but Sutton played 50 percent or more of the Steelers’ defensive snaps starting in 2020, with significant increases in 2021 and 2022. Fitzpatrick had 12 interceptions over those three seasons. And it’s probably no coincidence that Sutton had the best three seasons of his career with six interceptions over that time.
Here are their snap counts in the box, slot, out wide, and at free safety over those years. I also included Fitzpatrick’s 2024 data for comparison.
| Cameron Sutton | ||||
| Year | Box | Slot | Wide corner | Free safety |
| 2020 | 86 | 271 | 154 | 26 |
| 2021 | 116 | 164 | 764 | 16 |
| 2022 | 71 | 185 | 655 | 8 |
| Minkah Fitzpatrick | ||||
| Year | Box | Slot | Wide corner | Free safety |
| 2020 | 117 | 105 | 1 | 795 |
| 2021 | 111 | 101 | 2 | 860 |
| 2022 | 161 | 112 | 14 | 640 |
| 2024 | 42 | 10 | 0 | 434 |
Fitzpatrick is playing the largest percent of his snaps at free safety of his career. When he was at his best, he was able to move around a bit more, including a greater share of snaps in the slot. Cam Sutton should free him up for that.
Teams may try to avoid throwing to the middle of the field to limit Fitzpatrick’s effectiveness, but that becomes much more difficult when he moves around throughout the secondary. It forces opposing offenses to keep tabs on him at all times.
With Sutton, the secondary doesn’t really have a weak link. Fitzpatrick, DeShon Elliott, Donte Jackson, Joey Porter Jr., Bishop, and Sutton make up a formidable secondary that pairs well with one of the league’s best defensive fronts.
