Steelers Safety Duo a Bright Spot in Rebuilding Season
The Pittsburgh Steelers couldn't quite capitalize on their momentum stemming from their upset victory over the Tampa Bay Bucs last week, as they fell short against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday Night Football.
Hardly to blame was the defense, who bounced back nicely after the Dolphins offense came out scorching hot, putting up 13 points on their first three possessions.
Following a field goal with a little over two minutes left in the first quarter, the Steelers defense stood strong, allowing only three more points while pitching a shutout in the second half.
A big reason for the impressive defensive outing was the play of their safety duo, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Terrell Edmunds.
Fitzpatrick's didn't come away with an interception but still provided splash in the secondary. Early in the game on a key third down in the low red zone area, Fitzpatrick drove on a ball intended for Raheem Mostert and laid a booming hit which knocked the ball loose and got the defense off of the field. For the game, Fitzpatrick finished with six total tackles (third on the team) and one pass breakup with several of his best plays coming on third down.
His running mate Edmunds was just as magnificent and made one of the best plays of the game by flipping and running with the speedy Tyreek Hill down the left sideline and getting his head around to bat the football away. There aren't too many safeties in the league that are athletically gifted enough to run stride for stride with a player like Hill but Edmunds athleticism is a huge bonus for the Steelers defense. He finished the game with five total tackles and a pair of pass breakups.
In a season where the defense has certainly had its fair share of struggles, Fitzpatrick has once again shined through, having a monster campaign just months after signing a record breaking deal. Entering the week, Fitzpatrick had allowed just three total completions on the season for 79 total yards, according to Sports Info Solutions, almost all of which came on a single play- Josh Allen's touchdown pass down the middle to Gabriel Davis in Week 5.
His performance against Buffalo was his lone bad showing of the season but he was clearly hampered with his knee injury, one that caused him to miss the Tampa Bay game.
Fitzpatrick is the ultimate play-maker in the backend of the Steelers secondary, currently tied for third league-wide with three interceptions. In a league full of volatile defensive back play, he's one of the sports most consistent contributors on a weekly basis. Not only is he almost always in the right spot, he's also frequently covering up mistakes of his teammates which is a sign of an elite free safety.
Edmunds has drawn a lot of criticism over the years, mainly thanks to his draft position after the Steelers selected him in the first round back in 2018. Edmunds is the antithesis of Fitzpatrick in terms of play-making ability but he's such a solid contributor in essentially every other area. While he did drop another interception last night, Edmunds has shown progression in terms of locating the football while in the air and batting away passes.
The Steelers ask Edmunds to wear many different hats; he'll play in the box, he's also asked to slide down into the slot and rotate into middle field or split field zones depending on the coverage shell. Edmunds plus athleticism and impressive physicality make him a solid all-around contributor for Pittsburgh's defense.
Head coach Mike Tomlin also praised Edmunds ability as a communicator after he led a secondary full of backups to an impressive day against Tom Brady last week.
The Steelers safety duo has been their strongest positional group on either side of the ball throughout the first couple months of their season. Even if the Steelers don't pick up many more wins moving forward, this tandem is worth praise both locally and nationally. It's also worth discussing the need to keep these two ballers next to each other for years to come.
With Fitzpatrick locked up long-term the Steelers can shift their focus to Edmunds in the offseason. It's hard to believe that Edmunds didn't find a more competitive offer in the offseason than what he got from the Steelers which was a one-year, $2.5M deal. As of right now, he's the 41st highest paid safety, according to overthecap. While Edmunds isn't ever going to break the bank due to his lack of playmaking skills, he's going to be due a decent raise in the offseason if his play continues on this upward trajectory.
And the Steelers should be the ones to give it to him. With both players just 25 years old, Fitzpatrick entering his prime and Edmunds having the best year of his career, Pittsburgh can greatly benefit from the continuation of this partnership. These two play off each other so well thanks to varying strengths and weaknesses. Having one of the leagues best safety duos under contract for years to come is an intriguing proposition that they can't afford to pass on.
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