PITTSBURGH, PA – SEPTEMBER 15: Head coach Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks on during warmups before the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Heinz Field on September 15, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
Off to their first 0-2 start since 2013, the Pittsburgh Steelers have a new starting quarterback and a new face on defense in Minkah Fitzpatrick.
Back in April, general manager Kevin Colbert and the Pittsburgh Steelers were a little more aggressive than usual when it came to the draft. Of course, when your team has had its struggles on defense in recent years and the club drops four of its last six games after a 7-2-1 start, action speak louder than just standing pat.
The perennial playoff contender moved up 10 spots and paid a pretty decent price to select University of Michigan inside linebacker Devin Bush. Two games into the season, he and 2018 first-round pick Terrell Edmunds are tied for the team lead with 18 total stops. Then again, this is a team that has allowed a combined 61 points during its 0-2 start so those tackle numbers aren’t to be applauded too loudly.
Speaking of 2018, University of Alabama safety Minkah Fitzpatrick was the 11th overall pick that April by the Miami Dolphins. He finished his rookie year fourth on the club with 79 tackles and two interceptions and was tied for second on the team with nine passes defensed.
Disgruntled by his role this year under the new regime, the former member of the Crimson Tide made his displeasure known. Rumors of a trade began to surface over the weekend and by Monday evening Fitzpatrick was on his way north to the Steel City in a multi-faceted deal that will cost Pittsburgh their first-round draft choice in 2020. “We are very excited to add Minkah to our defense,” explained Colbert to Teresa Varley of Steelers.com. “We had him rated very high during the 2018 NFL Draft process and we thought that he could be an impact player in this league.”
With an offseason that included the dealing of wide receiver Antonio Brown, the drafting of Bush, the free-agent signings of Mark Barron, Steven Nelson and Donte Moncrief and the recent news that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will miss the remainder of the season (elbow), this is already a dramatically different looking team from a year ago. Fitzpatrick – who finished with 11 tackles, one forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in two games with the Dolphins this year – hopes to help cure the team’s issues on the back end of the defense. The Steelers also get a player still on his rookie contract from 2018.
The times are definitely changing in Pittsburgh. A more proactive front office this year has seen to that. And unfortunately so has an injury. So what will the 2019 Steelers develop into by late December?