The second coming of Palamalu, Fitzburg.
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You mentioned Jedaveon Clowney in passing, but how you can think this trade was the best and not his, is simply beyond me. I doubt the Seahawks would be 2nd seed in the NFC (and a with much better record than Pittsburgh) without him, AND they gave up much less to get him.
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Nice article, but where you say...
"which surrendered a bounty of draft choices that included its first- and fifth-round picks in 2020."
More context is needed so that this statement isn't as misleading and so that Kevin Colbert gets even more of the credit he rightfully deserves.
The Steelers sent effectively less than a first round pick and not a bounty of draft choices for Minkah Fitzpatrick. The details of the trade were: Pittsburgh sent a 2020 first rounder and swapped the Dolphins 2020 fourth round pick for the Steelers' 2020 fifth round pick, as well was swapping their 2021 sixth round pick for Miami's 2021 seventh round pick.
If the season ends with both teams in the same position they are in today with regard to draft order, the Steelers will have moved up 50 spots in the 2020 draft from the late fifth round to the early fourth round, which is a significant difference. Who knows how 2021 will play out, but in the case the draft order is similar that year, Pittsburgh will only drop down 15 picks from the end of the sixth round to the beginning of the seventh round.
Thus, the trade for Minkah was really for less than a first round pick, since they gave up first rounder but will likely be benefiting from a fairly large (net) leap ahead in the later rounds of the next two year's drafts. Regardless, he was worth significantly than what the Steelers dealt for him.
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@Chris Agreed, and even a first round pick can be hit or miss. The Steelers got a proven commodity with near-rookie youth. Essentially, they let the Dolphins take the risk that he would be a bust. Knowing he would not be one, they gave up a high pick, and changed their defense to one that has the potential to be legendary!
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Not since Troy roamed the secondary has the Steeler defense looked as bright, aggressive, and competent as this 2019 version. The Steelers record with and without Troy was day and night. I imagine Minkah is the new MAN. Been a joy to watch the Steelers play defense again.
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@johnnyd They now seem to be feeding off of each other's adrenaline. At the end of a tight game, I was beginning to hope the other team would just score quickly enough to give Big Ben time to get the Burg back on top. Now it is like the opposing offense is looking across the line of scrimmage and seeing rabid dogs, waiting to pounce! It is a good time to be a Steelers fan.
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Nice write-up! We are loving Minkah here in the 'burgh. Fitzburgh, that is!
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Look at the Steelers schedule. They won 6 of 7 from teams with a combined record of 26-46. Helps to play Miami, Bengals etc to get back on the winning track
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@grey fox It would have been a lot easier to get back on the winning track with Ben Roethlisberger, James Conner and JuJu Smith-Schuster - all starters. The Steelers lost to the 49ers and the Ravens, but they were competitive games. There’s no question that it’s the defense that has kept this team afloat.
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@grey fox
Very true. Their next game is against the surprisingly strong Bills, who are coming off a loss. That game will be the test.
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@Mikeweb You're getting ahead of yourself. Blitzburg visits Arizona this week. If they take care of business, the game against the Bills the following week will be huge! NFL knows this, as they have flexed the game to prime-time.
The timing of this trade was what was so interesting. As the article says, Pittsburgh hadn't traded a #1 pick since 1966. So -- why now? Did Tomlin push for it? If this trade didn't work out -- particularly given that Rothlisberger had been injured, and they were trading away what would could have been a high first round pick -- it is the type of trade that people from other teams get fired for making. And it was way out of character for Pittsburgh. The article seems to want to focus the story on the new control by players, but that feels like an afterthought to a more compelling story about a huge gamble and an organizational shift by one of the blue blood NFL franchises.
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@Jake Pittsburgh media and fans were shocked that the Steelers made this trade - only because it’s so counterintuitive to the way they do business.
@Aileen Bowers True, this has not been how the Steelers have operated. Could it be a sign of doubt in the team's ability to scout? They hit a home run with Devin Bush, Benny Snell, Johnson, and even Hodges this year (although, I think Delvin was un-drafted), but trading for a known quantity took pressure off the scouts who have selected some busts lately in the early rounds.
Unless my memory is off, it is a mischaracterization-bordering-on-error to say the Steelers traded a multiple draft picks to get this player.They traded away a first and fifth round pick, but received a fourth round pick with the player in return. This is trading away slightly less than a single first round pick no matter how one slices it.
Many football players, like baseball pitchers, age professionally more in "miles" than in years. This means sitting out a year is not an unambiguous disaster like it would be for many athletes, especially at positions where a year of wear is a huge factor in a player's expected market value (such as running back, and, presumably, most defenders). Almost none of the football players at these positions can still play at a high level in their late thirties when chronological age will start to catch up, so they have more leverage than it first appears. Odds are they have figured this out.
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@Alan Late thirties? Most football players fall off athletically at age 26 and beyond. Success after that is primarily attributed to instinct, study and "veteran know how".