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Minkah Fitzpatrick Surprised By Pro Bowl Selection Amid ‘Unsplashy’ Season
Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick was selected to the Pro Bowl for the fifth time in his career but he was a bit surprised as to why.
PITTSBURGH — Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick was one of four Pittsburgh Steelers who were selected to the Pro Bowl this year, but he may be the one with the weakest case and he knows it.
Fitzpatrick joins linebacker T.J. Watt, defensive tackle Cameron Heyward and kicker Chris Boswell — all of whom have had stellar 2024 campaigns — as the four players who will represent the Steelers in this year’s Pro Bowl.
Fitzpatrick has been one of the NFL’s best ballhawks for much of his career, but he’s registered just one forced fumble and one interception along with 93 tackles this season.
That’s why he was a little surprised to learn he was selected to the Pro Bowl for the fifth time in his career this year.
“Yeah, to be honest. Like I said, it hasn’t been my splashiest year,” Fitzpatrick said. “I’ve been doing my job for the most part. So yeah, I was surprised, but I’m also honored.”
Fitzpatrick’s lack of turnovers aren’t due to a decline in play, however. While he has received a lot of flack this year for his lack of splash plays, he believes he has still done a good job of playing his role on a very talented defense.
“Even though it hasn’t been my splashiest year or best year, I think I still played a lot of good football,” Fitzpatrick said. “They thought I was good enough to represent the AFC.”
Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin has also defended Fitzpatrick all season, saying he plays a key role in limiting offenses.
“I know we want splash, but he really does make us all better back there,” he said.
Fitzpatrick may not have the flashy turnover numbers that he’s had in the past, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t deserving of another Pro Bowl selection.
In fact, Fitzpatrick believes he, Watt and Heyward shouldn’t be the only ones on defense getting recognition.
“Honestly, I think it should be more than three guys,” Fitzpatrick said. “We had a lot of guys play really good football. Got a lot of guys that created turnovers. We got a lot of guys that play high-level football. I think just having three is a representation of us playing high-level football at different levels.”
There are several other Steelers who have strong cases. Linebacker Patrick Queen and safety DeShon Elliott have been flying all over the field this season, combining for 224 tackles, three forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, one interception and 12 passes defensed.
Cornerback Donte Jackson has also proven to be a solid free-agent addition as he’s registered the sixth-most interceptions in the league (five). But Fitzpatrick has proven to be a valuable asset to the Steelers defense and his latest Pro Bowl selection supports just that.
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