The Pittsburgh Steelers are going to look different defensively in 2025. Minkah Fitzpatrick is no longer in town, with Jalen Ramsey joining the secondary in his place. After trading Fitzpatrick, the safety position becomes more of a weakness in the minds of some, including CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards.
He listed safety as Pittsburgh’s biggest remaining need in an article published Tuesday.
“Pittsburgh recently acquired cornerback Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith, but lost safety Minkah Fitzpatrick in the process,” Edwards wrote. “The Steelers signed veteran Juan Thornhill, who was not playing his best football in Cleveland, and DeShon Elliott. If they had identified Fitzpatrick as a problem area for them last season, then the loss is probably not as significant as it may outwardly appear.”
Edwards’ opinion seems to hinge on whether Fitzpatrick was a “problem area” for the Steelers in 2024. He might have been, depending on who you ask.
Against the run, Fitzpatrick was impressive as ever. He made 96 tackles, tied for the second-highest single-season total in his career. More impressive, he missed just four tackles, a four-percent rate. That was the lowest missed tackle percentage he’s posted in his career. As a run-stopping safety, Fitzpatrick got the job done.
Defending the pass was a different story, and it’s where the Steelers felt there was enough of a problem to move on from the five-time Pro Bowler. Minkah Fitzpatrick lost his way when it came to taking the ball away, with just one interception over the last two seasons. He also had just seven passes defended during that span, a sharp drop from his six interceptions and 11 passes defended in 2022. He was a weak link in the secondary, allowing a 127.6 passer rating when targeted.
Good in some areas, bad in others. Now that he’s out, the safety spot does undeniably get weaker. If it is their biggest weakness, though, what options do the Steelers have?
In-house, there are some decent ones. DeShon Elliott is coming off a terrific 2024 season, better than Fitzpatrick’s in some aspects. His stellar run defense should help make up for some of what the Steelers are losing in Fitzpatrick. Aside from him, there’s not a ton of depth. Juan Thornhill is new this offseason, and he’s coming off a trying season with the Cleveland Browns. There are also murmurs that Ramsey could move back there, although local beat writers aren’t expecting him to log a ton of safety snaps.
Outside the building, Justin Simmons is the first remaining free agent who comes to mind. The longtime Denver Broncos safety did well against the pass with the Atlanta Falcons last year. There’s also Julian Blackmon and Marcus Williams, but each struggled mightily in 2024. There’s always some risk involved when it comes to signing free agents this late in the offseason as well.
In a dream scenario, Thornhill bounces back, Elliott has another terrific season, and each stay healthy. Then, the Steelers won’t have to worry about the position nearly as much. If either of those don’t happen, though, the Steelers could regret moving on from Minkah Fitzpatrick.
