Minkah Fitzpatrick is back in Miami. What will the Steelers defense look like without the three-time All-Pro?
In a blockbuster Monday trade, the Steelers sent safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for cornerback Jalen Ramsey, tight end Jonnu Smith, and a late-round pick swap.
Ramsey and Fitzpatrick, although both are at or near the end of their prime, are among the best defensive backs of their era. However, they’re different players and not a one-to-one swap in the Pittsburgh secondary.
Ramsey has played cornerback his entire NFL career, and Fitzpatrick, safety. In the upcoming season, how will the Steelers replace what Fitzpatrick brought to the Pittsburgh defense?
Juan Thornhill
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An under-the-radar free agent signing in the spring, Thornhill is now one of the biggest names to watch at Steelers training camp. The veteran isn’t a projected third safety anymore — he might be the team’s de facto starter at free safety.
How comparable is Thornhill to Fitzpatrick? They’re definitely not the same quality of player — there’s a reason why the former signed for just $3 million and an expected backup gig in free agency — but their usage was similar last season.
The Browns, like the Steelers, were a primarily single-high safety team in 2024, and Thornhill operated in a Fitzpatrick-esque role in the Cleveland secondary.
Thornhill isn’t on Fitzpatrick’s level. He’s less fluid and athletic in coverage, and his missed tackle rate last season (9.3%) was over double Fitzpatrick’s (4%). Thornhill’s passer rating allowed in 2024, 141.7 (a career worst), also compares poorly to Fitzpatrick’s 127.6 (also a career worst).
But coverage statistics, especially at safety, never tell the whole story. On film, Thornhill looks the part of a capable, although imperfect, defender. He has some splash to his game, too, with a penchant for laying out big hits over the middle of the field.
Some plays I liked from new #Steelers safety Juan Thornhill pic.twitter.com/d7tElsQIr1
— Ryland Bickley (@_Ryland_B) June 30, 2025
Ironically, while Fitzpatrick’s declining interception numbers (just one over the last two seasons) were often the first piece of evidence when discussing his regression, Thornhill has zero takeaways over that same span.
However, Thornhill has started 74 of his 87 career NFL games, and he still looks the part of a starting-level defender. With an intriguing cornerback room around him and a talented pass-rush in front of him, he should have plenty of help in 2025. He’s a clear frontrunner for the Steelers’ starting free safety job entering training camp.
Jalen Ramsey
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The Steelers traded for Ramsey and will be paying him a lot of money in 2025. He’ll be on the field a lot.
The question is, where?
Ramsey, as mentioned earlier, has been listed at cornerback his entire NFL career. But during his college career at Florida State, he saw some “star” and safety duties along with his snaps on the boundary. He’s a versatile talent, which appears to be one of the top reasons Pittsburgh traded for the former top-five pick.
Per NFL Pro, Ramsey played just eight snaps last season when aligned as a safety pre-snap. He still lined up as a boundary cornerback the majority of the time, but he saw 154 snaps in the slot as well as over 50 snaps in the box.
No information has come out regarding how the Steelers plan to use Ramsey yet; it’s a situation that should become more clear during training camp.
Ramsey will turn 31 in October. He’s at an age where cornerback play declines, and his last All-Pro was in 2021. However, he’s always been at his best in zone coverage, and he’s a noticeably physical presence near the line of scrimmage as cornerback.
As a result, there’s been plenty of realistic speculation in recent months that Ramsey could prolong his NFL career by making the switch to safety.
However, the Steelers’ biggest weakness on defense entering the 2025 season has been slot cornerback, a position expected to be manned by 2024 undrafted free agent Beanie Bishop. Bishop started six games last year but was benched midseason for Cameron Sutton.
Even with Fitzpatrick out of town, Ramsey would be a bigger upgrade in the slot over Bishop than he would be at safety over Thornhill.
However, Ramsey’s versatility gives the Steelers license to move him around all over the defense in 2025. Last year, the Steelers would swap out Sutton or Bishop for Damontae Kazee to run their “big nickel” three-safety defense.
Ramsey can stay on the field for both. At 6’1, 208 pounds, he’s almost the exact same size as Fitzpatrick and much bigger than Bishop.
With Darius Slay and Joey Porter Jr. locked into boundary duties, Ramsey should serve as a chess piece the Steelers can play at multiple spots depending on their defensive formation. Thornhill will likely be the closest to a true Fitzpatrick replacement in terms of usage, but Ramsey should still see some snaps at safety over the course of the season.
While he might be a starter in the slot over the short term, the Steelers might envision a move to safety in the future. Thornhill is on a one-year deal; Ramsey is slated to hit free agency in 2029.
Free agent options
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There’s still a decent crop of free agent safeties available. Even if Ramsey will be serving as a third safety of sorts for Pittsburgh, the Steelers could certainly still add at the position if he will be seeing most of his snaps at corner.
Per Spotrac, some of the top free agents remaining include:
- Marcus Williams
- Justin Simmons
- Jordan Whitehead
- Julian Blackmon
- Quandre Diggs
- Chuck Clark
- Jordan Poyer
- K’Von Wallace
- Marcus Maye
- John Johnson III
- Ryan Neal
The average age of the names above is well over 30, with Poyer the elder statesman at 34. The only player who will be under 28 when the season starts is Blackmon.
If it’s an affordable contract, the former Colt could be an option for Pittsburgh. He has seven interceptions over the last two seasons, meaning he’d fit well into a defensive culture that takes pride in creating turnovers.
However, Blackmon has started nearly every game of his five-year NFL career up to this point, and there’s a strong chance he wouldn’t want to sign for a reserve role in Pittsburgh. But as the offseason continues, unsigned players will be more open to team-friendly scenarios.
A name like Marcus Williams, a former starter who was benched at the end of last season, could be a more realistic possibility for a backup role. Former stars like Justin Simmons and Jordan Poyer could also make sense; they’re veterans nearing the end of their careers hoping for another season or two with a possible playoff team.
Former Rams and Browns safety John Johnson III is another name that stands out. He’s been an on-and-off starter over his career, but has a strong reputation as a communicator and motivator on the defenses he’s been a part of.
However, it doesn’t seem likely that the Steelers will make a splash signing at safety. In 2025, Thornhill, and Ramsey to a certain extent, should bear the brunt of replacing what Minkah Fitzpatrick brought to the Steeler defense.
If the Steelers add another name at the position group, it’ll likely be an affordable depth piece. But then again, this Pittsburgh offseason has been anything but predictable.
