Minkah Mum on Steelers Reunion; Former Coach Has High Praise

Minkah Fitzpatrick continues to give the Miami Dolphins reason to be happy with their summer trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers

Miami Dolphins safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (29) tackles New York Jets fullback Andrew Beck (47) during the second half at MetLife Stadium. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

As should have been expected, Miami Dolphins safety Minkah Fitzpatrick didn't really have much to say about going back to Pittsburgh to face his former team next Monday night.

This was similar to what happened during training camp when Fitzpatrick began his first media session after he was traded from the Steelers to the Dolphins by saying he didn't want to talk about his time in Pittsburgh or the trade itself.

In a Zoom session Tuesday, the first question for Fitzpatrick was whether he felt this was a big week because of the opponent and his feelings about his former team.

“No," Fitzpatrick said, "the only reason why it’s a big week this week is because we’ve got a game and we’ve got to win it.”

Fitzpatrick's head coach for the past five-plus years, Mike Tomlin, has some high praise for the defensive back when he ran down his thoughts about the Dolphins defense.

"I think they have been really solid in the secondary once they solidified some of their division of labor," Tomlin said Tuesday. "Minkah has been significant in that regard. He's been playing nickel for them, and they got more depth certainly at safety than at corner. Minkah's versatility has been an asset to them. He's done an awesome job as a guy that plays closer to the line of scrimmage in the nickel position, a guy that blitzes. Certainly, in base, he plays free safety and is a hub of communication and center fielder for them back there."

STILL GOOD-LOOKING TRADE FOR DOLPHINS

As we wrote last week, the Dolphins continue to look like they did more than salvage their big trade with the Steelers and actually won the trade.

And, taking things further, maybe they won the trade big.

Fitzpatrick continues to be a glue for the Dolphins secondary, highlighted by his performance in the Dolphins' 21-17 victory against the New Orleans Saints at Hard Rock Stadium in Week 13, while tight end Jonnu Smith continues to be a non-factor for the Steelers offense and Jalen Ramsey has struggled in pass coverage (based on opponent passer rating metrics), though Tomlin did praise him for his versatility in light of Ramsey being moved from cornerback to safety during this season.

WHY MIAMI WON THIS TRADE

All three players were rewarded financially after the trade sent Ramsey and Smith to the Steelers and Fitzpatrick to Miami, but it's the Dolphins who have gotten the most for their money this season.

While PFF grades aren't the end-all, be-all (our usual disclaimer), it's worth noting that Fitzpatrick is ranked third among 96 NFL safeties, while Ramsey is ranked 46th.

Smith, meanwhile, has seen his numbers come crashing after he enjoyed a career year in 2024 as Tua Tagovailoa's safety valve in the short passing game.

After setting career highs with 88 catches for 884 yards and eight touchdowns, Smith has a meager 30 catches for 190 yards and two touchdowns in 12 games so far this season — after his second game this season without a single catch in the Steelers' 27-22 victory against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.

While we expected Smith's numbers to go down in Pittsburgh with the presence of fellow tight ends Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington, meaning he simply wouldn't have the same opportunities he had in Miami, the decline is startling. What really stands out is the fact that Smith has not once reached 30 receiving yards in any game this season and his season high of five catches came in Week 1.

Last season, Smith reached five catches eight times and 50 receiving yards also eight times.

Now, it's fair to say the Dolphins could have used Smith at times this season, specifically in the first three weeks when Darren Waller still was working his way back from his hip injury or when Waller was on IR with his pectoral issue, but whether he would have been able to duplicate his 2024 production certainly can be debated.

And the Dolphins certainly weren't wrong in holding the line as far as giving him an extension.

And when it comes to the safety swap — because that's what Ramsey, as we predicted, would happen at some point, would happen — the Dolphins got the better of the two players at this time.

This was all done, we just remind everyone, while getting rid of a player who had become a headache, a player who wanted out.

So, yeah, this is one trade that's worked out pretty darn well for Miami.