The Pittsburgh Steelers are preparing for the 2024 regular season, but before the real games begin, the team has to head to training camp back at Saint Vincent College in order to fine tune their skills. As we here at SCN prepare you for the start of camp, we give you a series called “30 Scenarios in 30 Days” which gives you a Steelers scenario every day leading up to the start of camp.

It is simple how it works. We provide you the scenario, reasons why it will or won’t happen, and then our prediction for what we think will take place.

Let’s get to the scenario…

Scenario: Minkah Fitzpatrick will return to All-Pro status

Why it will happen: Last season the Steelers superstar safety was hampered with injuries throughout the entire season. Notice I said injuries, and not a singular injury. It started with a hamstring injury, and later it was a knee injury which didn’t just knock Fitzpatrick out of the lineup, but hampered him when he returned.

But this isn’t just about the injuries, it is about the way the Steelers had been using Fitzpatrick the past two seasons. When your best defender in the secondary is leading the team in tackles, that’s a problem. Once Terrell Edmunds left, Fitzpatrick basically took over his role on the defense, rather than playing his standard “robber” role where he can roam the secondary and make the plays we are accustomed to watching him make.

With DeShon Elliott signed in free agency, Cam Sutton brought in as a free agent after his suspension, and Damontae Kazee retained, the Steelers will have the players around Fitzpatrick to get him out of “the box”. In other words, as long as Fitzpatrick is still capable of making plays, he’ll be in a position to do so. Something which can’t be said the past two seasons when he was healthy and in the lineup.

Getting Fitzpatrick in position to make the players we’ve been accustomed to him making since he was brought over to the Steelers in 2019 is more than just half the battle, it is the battle. Let Minkah get back to “Minkah Ball”.

Why it won’t happen: Fitzpatrick might be able to stay healthy in 2024, but I can’t say I’m 100% sold on him being used the way he was when he was garnering All-Pro honors on a yearly basis. Teryl Austin is a defensive secondary specialist, and you would think he’d put his players in the best position to succeed, but he also can’t jeopardize the defense as a whole. When Edmunds left, the defense needed Fitzpatrick to play in the box and cover tight ends. Why? There was no one else to do it.

Last season they tried signing Keanu Neal to help in that role, but he not only got injured, but showed a lack of coverage skills when he was healthy. If the same happens with Elliott, expect less “Minkah Ball” and more “Minkah Tackling” in 2024.

Prediction: I think the Steelers learned their lesson with Fitzpatrick after Edmunds left. They were forced to move Minkah into the box, and the results weren’t good. Like I said above, the only way Fitzpatrick goes back to his 2023 and 2024 role is if Elliott is injured or deemed ineffective. If that doesn’t happen, I absolutely see Minkah getting back to the All-Pro safety we were accustomed to seeing when he was picking off passes and running them back for touchdowns.

Time to get back to MINKAH BALL!

Miss a scenario? Check out yesterday’s scenario below, and be sure to stay tuned to SCN for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for training camp.

30 Scenarios In 30 Days: The Steelers Will Not Play A Meaningless Regular Season Game