The Minkah Fitzpatrick saga has come to an end. ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that the Dolphins have traded the cornerback to the Steelers. Miami will receive a 2020 first-rounder in return. ESPN’s Cameron Wolfe adds (via Twitter) that the teams will also be swapping late-round picks.
Here’s the full breakdown of the trade: The Dolphins will receive a 2020 first-round pick, a 2020 fifth-round pick, and a 2021 sixth-round pick. The Steelers, meanwhile, get Fitzpatrick, a 2020 fourth-round choice, and a 2021 sixth-round selection.
We learned yesterday that league-wide interest in the 2018 first-rounder was “real and serious,” with roughly 20 teams reaching out to Miami. Earlier tonight, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reported (via Twitter) that a trade was imminent, and he listed the Steelers (along with the Redskins, Cowboys, Chiefs, Eagles, and Seahawks) as potential suitors. While the Dolphins weren’t necessarily shopping the cornerback, they were receptive to offers and asking for a first-rounder “and something else.”
Fitzpatrick is an undeniably gifted defensive back who has been less than thrilled with the multiple roles he has been asked to fill in Miami’s defense to date. His ability to play as both a slot corner and a roaming safety made him a desirable asset. Through two games this season, the 22-year-old has compiled 12 tackles and one forced fumble.
The Dolphins offseason (and preseason, and regular season…) teardown is essentially complete. As ESPN’s Field Yates tweets, Miami has three first-rounders (their own, Steelers, Texans) and two second-rounders (their own, Saints) in the 2020 draft, and they also have the Texans 2021 first- and second-round picks (as well as their own).
While yesterday’s report indicated that a Fitzpatrick trade would ultimately represent the end of the team’s teardown and draft-pick accumulation, it sounds like the Dolphins aren’t necessarily eyeing a return to relevance in 2020. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com wrote earlier today that there’s “growing suspicion” that the Dolphins may be eyeing a two-year rebuild. The team may even pass on a quarterback during the 2020 draft with the hope that they’ll for Clemson signal-caller Trevor Lawrence in 2021.
While the Steelers were in the market for a cornerback, the trade is a considerable risk for a team that just lost Ben Roethlisberger for an entire season. Considering the draft capital they gave up to acquire Fitzpatrick, Pittsburgh’s front office has made it clear that they’re not giving up on the 2019 campaign. On the flip side, since the front-office is apparently high on the former 11th-overall pick, giving up a potential top-1o selection may still be a net positive, regardless of the Steelers’ 2019 record.
Could Miami get any freakin worse!
The folks at Hard Knocks are probably counting on it.
Our GM thinks this is Madden.
What a stupid trade by the Steelers. That’s going to end up being a top 10 pick
yep
what are they thinking?
They’re offense just went down the tubes… “hey, let’s bolster our secondary.”
“…and trade away the first early 1st round pick we’ve had in a while.”
Steelers would have spent their top pick on a d-back anyways so why not get him a year early?
Completely fine with this trade if Minkah plans out.
And Rudolph was pretty sick.. his INT wasn’t his fault at all(unless you count throwing to Moncreif a mistake lol)
But the offense moved very well under Mason.. could’ve gone way worse for a guy making his nfl debut on the fly
If their pick ends up at #1, this is a terrible trade for black n gold. Heck, even top 5. Look at the trade hauls top 5 picks have netted recently. Just sayin, to justify this trade by stating you would take a DB anyway doesn’t negate the risk of this trade. A potentially valuable trade chip was given away right after your qb was lost for the season. It’s a very interesting move to say the least. As a dolphins fan, I am pleased with the lottery chances of this pick vs say a locked in playoff contender like Dallas or Nola. I think those squads would have needed to add more assets regardless of Steelers interest
If I was a Dolphins fan I’d be very happy with this result.
We are
im not happy
with the trade , we drafted him 11th then trade him for a 1st and give up a 4th and 6 to get a 5 and 6 . only way I’ll be ok with it is if pots pick ends up top 5 as the dB was a top 7 talent
There are many other teams that are worse than the Steelers. They can steal win 7-9 games.
I agree
Disagree. He’s locked up for another few years. He was a first round draft pick that plays like it. Steelers are giving up a first for a first round player that has eliminated some of the risk on whether he can play or not.
Could be a good pick if the Steelers bomb without Big Ben.
Could be a win-win.. Minkah was #11..
Steelers would take a DB 1st no matter what in 2020, so makes no diff to black n gold.
Think that was the logic.
Would the Steelers have drafted a DB with a top five pick, though? And would that hypothetical DB be better or worse than Fitzpatrick? I think this is a pretty bad trade for the Steelers. A top five or even top ten pick is worth more than Fitzpatrick.
Very risky without Big Ben. That pick could be well up there
Is this the football version of the Chris Archer trade?
No. Because Fitzpatrick has proven to be decent. And we only gave up one pick, which might not be as high as people think if he can solidify the secondary and improve their pass defense. Rudolph put up a decent performance against a good Seahawks defense. If the defense improves, they could still get to 8-8 or 9-7
Lol imagine not calling Chris Archer’s track record decent. It’s not his fault the Pirates searage’d him into throwing two seam fastballs.
Archer had one decent year. Just one. He’s always had the stuff to be a star, but never turned his potential into production. I would not call a 4 or higher ERA decent, I’d called that average, or slightly below average. You don’t trade three top prospects for an average pitcher. The Steelers traded one good prospect for an above-average safety. They are very different deals
Uhh Chris Archer was proven to be well above decent at the time of that trade
Lol chris archer had a 4+ ERA for a few years heading into Pittsburgh.
Super overrated pitcher.
And what were the steelers going to use their 2020 pick on? That’s right… a d-back.
Depends on where that pick ends up.While it’s safe to say they won’t get the top pick,because of the Dolphins,but it could still very well end up top 5.They had 10 last year,with Big Ben & A.Brown.
For a team that has lost 2 of the best offensive players in the league,and now their 37yr old franchise QB.That pick might’ve been useful pretty much anywhere for that team.Plus the pick would’ve came with a 4year contract(plus an option),instead of 2 with an option.
Ok,they traded up to 10,but still missed the playoffs,and are now missing 2 key players from that offense.
they’re 0-2, you think they could still manage to end up 8-8 or 9-7?!?! in the AFC that would get them into the playoffs. PLAYOFFS¿? you talkin about PLAYOFFS?!
They still have two games against the Bengals, and they also play the 49ers, Cardinals, Bills, Jets and the Dolphins, all games that they should be favored to win. It’s probably a 50/50 chance they beat the Browns at home too, which gets them to 8-8. They won’t make playoffs, but they won’t be trash.
They’re going to lose to the Bills, who actually have a defense. And the 49ers aren’t going to be easy, either.
I didn’t say they wouldn’t lose. I just said they might be favored
No? That’s funny…
seriously only 1 first round pick this is garbage . only way I’d be happy with the capital is if pit ends up with a top 7 pick . as we drafted Fitzpatrick 11th in the first rd. so we better get a good top 7 pick back or its a bad trade for us
There’s a real good possibility that turns into a top 7 pick!
Top 7 pick they’d use on a db anyways…
PFF ranked Minkah the #6 db in the NFL last year. Dudes a stud and totally worth it.
12 tackles in 2 games so far is incredible too.
Let alone, theres no way Steelers finish bottom 7.. prob be like #14 if were talking reality.
12 tackles mean nothing. Not when the opposing teams offense is putting up 102 points in 2 games. He has been on the field an inordinate amount of time. And I don’t know what metrics you are using but he is not a top 6 DB. He’s nice, not that nice. This is going to be a bad trade. Regardless of how you try to justify it.
Did you feel the same way about the Rosen trade? Players are almost always like cars. They lose value as soon as you drive them off the lot. You will rarely see a 1st round pick traded for far more than the position they were drafted
I’d say this is way better than what they were going to get. Dallas and Nola are locks for picks in the 20s. You’d rather have say a 1st and 5th from one of those squads or roll the dice on a potential top 10 pick while also removing a disgruntled player?
Steelers now without 1st or 2nd round pick next year, donut will be tougher for them to pick enough underachieving defensive players
They have their second-round pick next year. They’re missing a third, but that will be recouped when they get a compensatory pick for Bell.
They won’t get a comp pick because they signed Nelson, Moncrief and Barron which will offset their losses.
Barron was cut I’m pretty sure and does not factor into the comp pick equation.
The Steelers did just enough to maintain the 3rd comp pick for Bell. One more free agent signing or slight tweaks to contracts would have dropped it to a 4th. Barron was cut, so he didn’t impact the pick.
It’s risky for both sides, but on the Steelers end, would you really be getting a player better than minkah assuming the Steelers are around number 10? The only thing that concerns me is if mason flunks it and they need to draft a qb they would like that pick back. Which would go hand in hand assuming the worse mason does the higher the draft pick. I’ll take the risk though
By risky you mean, win-win
Fixed.
I fail to see the risk from one point of view… the Dolphins jettisoned a player who wanted out, and got what they wanted in return. What they get in a pick will be favorable compared to what they used on Minkah plus a couple of years of service. If any risk, it’s miniscule.
If Rudolph plays as well as he did on Sunday, losing Ben won’t actually hurt them much.
OTOH, even with Pro Bowl level QB play, they are still going to go 0-16 if they can’t cover a TE.
If this guy can, it’s probably a smart move.
This also allows Sean Davis to walk after the season. Fitzpatrick is better than Davis as it is.
This is going to end up being a top 5 pick
You really think that any of the Dolphins, Bengals, Jets, Cardinals, or Giants will be better than the Steelers? Not to mention mediocre teams like Tampa, Denver, Raiders, Washington, Buffalo, Jaguars, Carolina, and Detroit would all have to be better than Steelers to make them a top five pick.
Big Ben is a big loss but Rudolph can be at least average. I would think Steelers are still going to win 7-8 games which would put them outside the top ten easily and probably closer to the middle teens.
who knows how Big Ben’s replacements will fare? Rudolph cant carry the team on his own, and he certianly cant if his QB cant throw the ball near him.
Why would Rudolph need a QB to throw a ball near him?
Cuz like all the other idiots that rushed here to say the steelers gave up too much, he doesn’t know anything and clearly didn’t see Rudolph (a QB) light it up this past sunday
@jkoms “light it up” ?? What game did you watch? He did an adequate job, but let’s not nominate him for MVP after 2 quarters of play.
If he can steer this ship to 8-9-10 wins, then he’ll have earned consideration for a starting role next season, Ben or not.
Are Steelers fans seriously saying that Rudolph, a guy with zero experience, is just gonna come in and be a good NFL QB? How many times has any NFL QB just walked in and played great. I can think of maybe 1 or 2. This dude is basically a rookie. I would be shocked if the Steelers sniffed .500 the rest of the way.
Remember Bens rookie year? Stranger things have happened. link to touchdownwire.usatoday.com
Kurt Warner
He was one.
Steelers could’ve used the two Fitzpatricks for one first rounder deal.
Why would we want Ryan?
Dolphins are using him to tank .. steelers still want to play ball.
Steelers are dumb
Lol yep they could’ve had a good DB fall right into their lap, had they just waited til the draft…
Oh well. Maybe one day this org will figure it out.
Steelers actually have a young team and getting in Fitzzy they get better. Don’t think giving up this years first was good with Ben down, should’ve given them 2021 first. Was hoping this year they would get a top pick and pick up Jaylen Hurts and groom him into replacing Big Ben
They have Mason Rudolph. No need for a qb
I like Rudolph. The trade the Steelers made recently that I really hate now was giving up Dobbs for a 6th rounder. But hindsight I guess.
I don’t c the Steelers making the playoffs. But I don’t c them as a bottom 10-12 team still. Not with the talent they still have. The defense is young and they will start tackling better in my opinion.
Defense just got a heck of a lot better too.
They’ll push for a wildcard. Def not bottom 10 and if so, who cares, just got the db we would’ve drafted anyways
Someone with a brain! Good comment
That look on Steelers nation come January when they realize that pic they just traded is a top 10 pick probably even top five.
Get real
First off, the Steelers will end up around .500… that pick wont be top 10. Secondly, why the hell are comparing Steelers trades with the Pirates. Get a grip.
If the Steelers give up a Top-15 pick, this doesn’t look like a good move. If they make the playoffs then okay, you got good value. But they could land a similarly skilled DB Top-15 in most drafts.
Would have made more sense for a team likely picking 25-32. But the draft is a crap shoot anyway, if you think Minkah is a fit for your system go for it.
Minkah Fitzpatrick is a good player. However, the Steelers still have many problems and they are probably headed to a bottom ten or at least fifteen finish. Wouldn’t it make sense to hold on to what could be a very valuable draft pick? Not sure how this makes any sense.
Funny how all these Steelers fans are complaining about the trade rn, but the moment Fitzpatrick does something good for them they’ll all be talking about how good a trade it was
I have no problem with this at all. Steelers have proven they can’t draft CBs at ALL. Given that track record, Fitz is better than any DB they would have chosen. And no, they aren’t bad enough to be in the 5 to 7 pick range. Likely 10 to 12. Fitz, Bush, and Watt is a solid young D core.
Hell, if I’m them, I double down and send the 2021 1st+ to the Jags for Ramsey too. That’d allow them to have a stellar D in the years where they transition away from Ben.
Does anyone remember Bens rookie year? He replaced Tommy Maddox in week 2 after Maddox goes down with an elbow injury. That sounds familiar. Not saying Rudolph will rattle off 14 straight, but he is capable of winning 10 games with the playmakers the Steelers have. The offense looked 100x better with him out there than it did with Ben. The Steelers needed a safety so bad with Davis being gone next year and being hurt now. With the Steelers not being able to draft in the first rd there is no risk for them as well as there will be no DB that will have the talent and IQ that Minkah has for them to even draft. Ben will be back next year and for years after so there isn’t a need to draft a QB even if this turns to be a top 5 pick(which it won’t). This saves the Steelers defense and possibly the season.
garbage trade . essentially trading a top 10 pick from last yr for mostly a middle first rd pick and give up a 4 and a 6 for a 5 and a 6 . so bad . I just hope pit sucks soo bad this year and ends up with 1st overall pick or top 5 pick as thats the only way I’ll be ok with the trade