The Pittsburgh Steelers have made several surprising moves this offseason. However, none may have been more shocking than when they sent Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Miami Dolphins in a deal for Jonnu Smith and Jalen Ramsey. There were rumors connecting the Steelers to both those players, but there wasn’t much indicating that they were ready to move on from Fitzpatrick. He’s been one of the best safeties in the league since coming to Pittsburgh. New Steelers corner Darius Slay recently shared his reaction to the move.
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“When I saw the trade go through, I’m thinking it was just some draft picks,” Slay said Monday on Richard Sherman’s podcast. “I thought it would be me, him, Minkah, all of us back there. I’m like, ‘This gonna be crazy.’ Then I seen the final results like, ‘This is a little different.’ I’m looking forward to it. I met Minkah a couple times down there. He’s a smart player. He is what Pittsburgh nation is.
“He’s 10 toes down. He comes to work; he leads by example. He was a great teammate for me for the six days I was there. I was looking forward to seeing that because that would have been my real first time coming in with another All-Pro at that safety position. Now, I’ll replace him with another All-Pro and I feel like one of the best in the game as well, and that’s Jalen Ramsey. It’s gonna be great.”
Slay’s thought process was similar to that of many Steelers fans. Most expected Pittsburgh to send draft capital away to acquire Ramsey and Smith. However, they opted to move Fitzpatrick, a three-time first-team All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowler.
For the first few years of his Steelers tenure, Fitzpatrick was incredible. He made an instant impact, helping solidify the back end of their defense. However, in recent years, he hasn’t been as good. While not all of that has been his fault, the Steelers clearly felt comfortable enough parting with him to add new pieces.
While Pittsburgh has good corner depth, safety could be a problem with the Fitzpatrick trade creating a hole there.
At the moment, it’s unclear where Ramsey is going to play in Pittsburgh. Throughout his career, he’s mostly been an outside corner. He’s also seen some time in the slot, so perhaps he’ll fit in there with the Steelers. Slay and Joey Porter Jr. seem less suited to play in the slot or at safety, so perhaps that could leave Ramsey as a chess piece for the Steelers to move around.
Ramsey also played some safety in college, and while he hasn’t done that in a large sample size in the NFL, perhaps he could shift there for the Steelers. That could allow them to put forth their best combination in the secondary.
It’s unfortunate that Pittsburgh couldn’t keep Fitzpatrick. Slay sums him up perfectly. He’s a hard-working, intelligent player. If he recaptures some of his old magic, he could make the Steelers look foolish for making this deal.
While the Steelers’ defensive backs won’t include Fitzpatrick, Slay is just as excited to get to work with them. They’ve still got a lot of talent in their secondary. The key now is where everyone fits in.
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