Steelers News: Former First Rounder Hopes For Better Role In Pittsburgh

Minkah Fitzpatrick got his wish and the 22-year-old will try to see if he will get a better role with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The 11th round pick of the 2018 NFL Draft was pretty unhappy with his role with the Miami Dolphins and had asked permission to talk with teams.

The Steelers acquired the defensive back in exchange for a 2020 first-round pick, something the Dolphins wanted. Aside from that, the Dolphins also received the Steelers' 2020 fifth-round pick and a sixth-rounder in 2021. Pittsburgh received Miami's 2020 fourth-round pick and a seventh-round pick in 2021, ESPN reported.

"We are very excited to add Minkah to our defense," Steelers general manager and vice president Kevin Colbert said in a statement. "We had him rated very high during the 2018 NFL draft process and we thought that he could be an impact player in this league."

To accommodate Fitzpatrick, the Steelers placed safety Sean Davis on the injured reserve. In a related development, Pittsburg also added Paxton Lynch to the practice squad, NFL.com reported. With Ben Roethlisberger out for the season following an elbow injury, the 25-year-old will likely become Mason Rudolph's backup at quarterback.

With a new lease on life, Fitzpatrick will now focus on helping the Steelers on Sunday. Pittsburgh faces the New England Patriots, ironically a team he faced last with the Dolphins. He bolsters a formidable defensive back group that includes Joe Haden, Steven Nelson, and Terrell Edmunds.

"I can't focus on this trade, and this and that," Fitzpatrick said. "I'm focused on Sunday. I've got to focus on the New England Patriots."

It will be interesting if the Steelers can climb back from a 0-2 hole. While adding Fitzpatrick is big, the real problem for them is the quarterback position. Losing Roethlisberger is big and there are still questions up in the air on how Rudolph can respond to the challenge.

In a previous post, it was mentioned how Rudolph started on the wrong foot but eventually settled down. He may need to do more against the Patriots. Regardless, it appears he has the vote of confidence of head coach Mike Tomlin.

If he impresses, Lynch should be an interesting addition to the Steelers. He was initially signed by the Seattle Seahawks back in January but got cut last August. The former first-rounder is looking to get another chance after falling out of place with the Denver Broncos.