While Pittsburgh Steelers S Minkah Fitzpatrick has just one interception this season, he was the lone free safety named to the AFC Pro Bowl roster. Fitzpatrick admitted that he was “surprised” to be named to the Pro Bowl because he hasn’t created a ton of splash this season.
“Yeah, to be honest, to keep it real. Like I said, it hadn’t been my splashiest year. I’ve been back in the post and doing my job for the most part. I was surprised, but I’m also honored,” Fitzpatrick said via video by ESPN’s Brooke Pryor.
Fitzpatrick finished seventh in fan voting for the Pro Bowl at free safety, second in the AFC behind Amani Hooker, but he was the only free safety who made the roster. While Fitzpatrick hasn’t created turnovers at the rate he has for the Steelers in the past, as a deep safety he’s helped take away the deep middle of the field, which has led to a lot of success for the Pittsburgh defense for most of the year.
He’s certainly more deserving of making the Pro Bowl this season than he was when he made it last year after dealing with injuries, only playing 11 games, and failing to force a turnover. Given the fan-voting element, being elected to the Pro Bowl isn’t quite the honor that it could be given that a lot of it can be chalked up to the influence of fans, but it’s still important for legacies and this is Fitzpatrick’s third-straight Pro Bowl.
Fitzpatrick was one of four Steelers selected to the Pro Bowl, along with DL Cameron Heyward, K Chris Boswell and OLB T.J. Watt. This season, he has 93 tackles and four passes defensed along with one interception, which came in Week 16 against the Baltimore Ravens. Despite not creating the same splash this season, Fitzpatrick is still regarded as one of the best safeties in football and he’s an important piece for the Steelers’ defense.
Pro Bowl weekend, which will take place Feb. 2 in Orlando, includes a variety of mini-games in addition to the flag football Pro Bowl itself. It’ll be fun to see Fitzpatrick and the rest of the Steelers compete in a variety of competitions, assuming they attend, and while it may have been a surprise for Fitzpatrick to be selected, it’s another career accolade to hang his hat on.
