The Pittsburgh Steelers were pretty thin in secondary depth to begin last season. Then it got worse. Minkah Fitzpatrick dealt with injuries and fellow safeties Damontae Kazee and Keanu Neal missed time as well. Joey Porter Jr. played great in his rookie season, but the other cornerbacks on the roster struggled. Fitzpatrick played a few games towards the end of the season with a casted broken hand and he was being asked to do a lot, despite being banged up. General Manager Omar Khan had a few important positions to address this offseason and he might not have made his biggest splashes in the secondary, but he did bring in some reinforcements.
Matt Freed / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Steelers General Manager Omar Khan speaks to the media.
Khan traded wide receiver Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers and in return, he brought in cornerback Donte Jackson to pair him up with Porter Jr. on the perimeter. Jackson has had a solid career thus far. He has blazing speed that gives him the ability to run with just about any receiver in the league.
Former Steelers safety Ryan Clark pointed out one part of Jackson's game that goes unnoticed: his toughness. Jackson is a willing tackler, unlike most cornerbacks his size. Porter Jr. had some struggles tackling last season, but he got better as the season went on. He's still very young heading into his second season as a pro and can certainly improve his tackling. Especially if his dad, former Steelers great Joey Porter Sr. gives him a few pointers.
Throwing Jackson into the mix with recently signed safety DeShon Elliott (along with Fitzpatrick) will create a secondary full of solid tacklers, which is much needed. Clark joined Mina Kimes on her new show Power Hour and talked about the Steelers' secondary.
"I think Donte Jackson, when healthy, is an underrated pick up for them defensively," Clark mentioned. "I believe he [Jackson] can be utilized in the slot. I want to see if that's a decision that they make defensively, to utilize him in the slot and allow him to be around the football more. Was extremely physical at LSU. Was a guy that could mix it up in the run, also good in press and zone coverage inside and I think that could be a move for them that sort of gets them over the hump and allows Minkah Fitzpatrick to go back to being Minkah."
Clark then shared his thoughts on how he felt the team used Fitzpatrick specifically during the 2023 season when he was healthy.
"They regulated him like last year to like the cleanup guy, that's not who Minkah Fitzpatrick is."
Fitzpatrick is one of the league's best ball hawks. He's also one of the best tackling safeties in the NFL. When he's put in a position to balance both of those strengths and do a bit of everything, he's certainly in the conversation for the best safety in the league. If Jackson's playstyle gives Fitzpatrick the freedom to play his style of free safety, the Pittsburgh secondary can be miles ahead of where it was last season.
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Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick goes up for an interception during a Pittsburgh Steelers game.
The Steelers' Secondary Is Improved, But Still Thin
Behind Porter Jr. and Jackson at cornerback, the Pittsburgh secondary has Cam Sutton, who was brought back after being released by the Detroit Lions this offseason. He's followed by a plethora of younger players, like Cory Trice Jr., Darius Rush and even undrafted free agent, Beanie Bishop. It does raise a question of if the Steelers have enough depth to line up Jackson inside to free up Fitzpatrick? Sutton was a good player during his time in the Steel City, but he struggled mightily with the Lions. There's hope that he'll bounce back now that he's back in black and gold, but he might not be reliable enough on the perimeter.
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Steelers' Donte Jackson working out with the team at OTAs.
If Sutton or one of the younger cornerbacks steps up and shows the capability to play boundary cornerback, and Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin allows Jackson to line up in the slot and use his physicality, the Steelers defense could once again be one of the league's best units.
Do you think we'll get to see Fitzpatrick play "Minkah ball" again? Let us know in the comments below!
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