Instant impact: Freed from Miami, Minkah Fitzpatrick makes big plays for Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ trade for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick seemed a little curious, but it paid off in Fitzpatick’s first game on his new team.
Fitzpatrick, who wanted off the Miami Dolphins’ sinking ship, was traded to the Steelers. In his first half of his Steelers debut, Fitzpatrick had an interception and forced a fumble on a San Francisco 49ers run deep in Pittsburgh territory.
The Steelers lost quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for the season, so trading a 2020 first-round pick to the Dolphins for Fitzpatrick was an odd move on the surface. If the Steelers, who were 0-2, had the bottom fall out and replacement quarterback Mason Rudolph wasn’t good, then they wouldn’t have a 2020 first-rounder to use on a potential franchise quarterback in the draft.
But Fitzpatrick’s talent is clear. He is versatile enough to play cornerback or safety, though the Steelers’ initial plan is to let him focus on safety. He was a high first-round pick of the Dolphins last season. He’ll be a good player for the Steelers.
And in his first Steelers game, Fitzpatrick was already making the trade look good. The 0-3 Dolphins could use a guy like that.
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Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab
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