Fitzpatrick a defensive cornerstone
Whether safety or DB, rookie proving worthy of 1st-round draft status
Miami Dolphins defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick’s rookie year began with a squabble over a trademark he filed for a nickname commonly associated with a quarterback for another team that got off to a hot start earlier this season.
In recent weeks, his versatile play has been a factor in longtime safety Reshad Jones’ objection to playing in a secondary rotation to improve a porous defense.
While the Dolphins’ apparent need for a future quarterback persists, Fitzpatrick has shown the team he has been worthy of their first-round pick last April by beginning to cement himself as a franchise cornerstone of the Dolphins defense.
“Obviously with Minkah, we’re excited about him as a player and his talent and what he brings to the table. We’re just trying to find different ways to get him on the field in different spots and utilize his skill set,” Dolphins defensive coordinator Matt Burke said before the Dolphins bye week.
“Every time we’ve done that and put him in a spot to perform, he’s performed well. … Even going back to the draft and why we brought him in, was his versatility in terms of what he brings to the table from that point of view. We’re just trying to find ways to utilize those different skills that he has.”
When Fitzpatrick is in the game, he is making the most of his opportunities. He has the best defensive passer rating in coverage when targeted by opposing quarterbacks at 48.5, according to Pro Football Focus.
His rating improved from 50.3 after the Green Bay game last Sunday, and is significantly better than the next four players rated: Kansas City’s Steven Nelson (59.0), Denver’s Charles Harris Jr. (60.8), Houston’s Kareem Jackson (61.8) and Arizona’s Patrick Peterson (62.3).
While Fitzpatrick has played in 78.9 percent of the Dolphins’ defensive snaps this season, he has played in all but one snap in the last two games.
He is also playing more boundary cornerback, ahead of Bobby McCain and opposite starter Xavien Howard, while at times operating in a safety role alongside Jones and T.J. McDonald. Those duties have been added to his plate after starting the season in a nickel defensive back role when the Dolphins deploy five defensive
backs in the secondary.
“I take a lot of pride in it because it’s not something that a lot of people can do and it’s not easy to do,” Fitzpatrick said of playing multiple roles.
“Sometimes I do wish I had one position just to be safe and sound at. But I think it just adds to my stock, my value to the team. It’s not just me that’s moving around, it’s other guys, other pieces that are moving around.
“Just as a secondary, being able to do that is pretty special.”
The Dolphins drafted Fitzpatrick with the 13th overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft, with hopes his versatility could pay the dividends it has this season.
Fitzpatrick’s stellar play has shown the Dolphins he is just as capable of being a future starting safety as he could be a future starting cornerback.
Fitzpatrick says playing nickel cornerback is overall the hardest of the positions to grasp physically and mentally because he is trying
to cover opposing receivers in space.
The safety position is harder mentally than the other two because he has to make defensive reads to decide which player is the right one to cover on any play.
Outside corner, on the other hand, “is a whole different monster,” he said, because it’s a matchup likely against the opposing team’s best receiver.
Burke says with the way the NFL has transformed offensively, with outside receivers moving around in different spots on the field and tight ends serving more prolific roles in the passing game, a player of Fitzpatrick’s caliber is “a valuable weapon for us to have.”
Fitzpatrick may say he does not have a position preference, but he is simply focused on finishing his first NFL season on a high note for the Dolphins, who will return to action on the road against the Indianapolis Colts on Nov. 25.
“I’m just out there doing what I got to do,” Fitzpatrick said. “I’m still a rookie, still trying to find my way and do what I’ve got to do to make plays.”