Behind the Steel Curtain
The Miami Dolphins traded Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Steelers, and Pittsburgh has benefited.
For the Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins, it’s been five full seasons since the 2019 trade-deadline deal that sent second-year defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick to Pittsburgh and yielded the Dolphins a starting offensive lineman.
Fitzpatrick has been phenomenal for the Steelers, starting 88 of 96 games since arriving, with three first-team All-Pro selections and making five Pro Bowls. Not only is he one of the best players on the Steelers roster, he’s one of the best in the league.
The Steelers used the fourth-round pick they received from the Dolphins, pick 135, to select offensive lineman Kevin Dotson. Dotson started 30 games for the Pittsburgh over three seasons before being traded to the Los Angeles Rams at final roster cuts in 2023. It was a pick swap, so not a lot of value worth discussing in the trade.
The 2021 seventh-round pick the Steelers received became pick 245 overall, and Pittsburgh used it to select defensive back Tre Norwood. Norwood started 32 games over two seasons before being waived at the end of training camp in 2023.
A pretty good haul considering they were in addition to Fitzpatrick.
The 2020 first-round pick Miami received turned into pick 18, and the Dolphins used it to select tackle Austin Jackson out of USC. As with many young offensive linemen, Jackson needed time to develop in the NFL, and saw the field at both left tackle and left guard before settling in at right tackle for the Fins.
The fifth-round pick the Dolphins received became pick 154 in the 2020 NFL Draft, and Miami used this selection to add defensive end Jason Stowbridge of North Carolina. Stowbridge appeared in eight games as a rookie, but was waived at the end of his second training camp in 2021.
The 2021 sixth-round pick the Dolphins received was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs at the 2020 trade deadline in exchange for DeAndre Washington and a 2021 seventh-round pick. The 2021 seventh-round pick was then sent to the Washington Football Team in a pick swap that sent offensive lineman Ereck Flowers away from Miami.
The Dolphins have their starting right tackle, while the Steelers have a three-time, first-team All Pro and five-time Pro Bowl defensive back. It’s no contest. Add in the solid play Pittsburgh got from the picks thrown in alongside Fitzpatrick, and it’s a landslide.
WINNER: Steelers
