Minkah Fitzpatrick Praises Steelers Veteran Additions to Secondary: ‘There's No Real Concerns'

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2 days ago

Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick is a big fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers' veteran additions to their secondary this offseason.
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers added a couple of older faces to their secondary this offseason and they have safety Minkah Fitzpatrick feeling very optimistic for the defense in 2025.
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The Steelers first signed veteran cornerback Darius Slay to a one-year deal in free agency. He's 34 but Fitzpatrick thinks Slay is bringing some much-needed experience to the group.
'I think a guy like that is extremely valuable. He's covering his side of the field, and you know when you have man-to-man, he's solid over there,' Fitzpatrick said. 'There's no real concerns over there. You know he's gonna be in the right position. You know he's gonna do his job at a high level.'
Slay spent the last five years with the Philadelphia Eagles as a starting outside cornerback. He started 14 games for Philly last season, plus another four on the team's run to its Super Bowl LIX championship. He finished the regular season with 49 tackles, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and 13 passes defended.
Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay in a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Dec. 16, 2024. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Pittsburgh then added another veteran in safety Juan Thornhill on a one-year deal. The 29-year-old spent the first four years of his career with the Kansas City Chiefs before joining the Cleveland Browns in 2023.
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Fitzpatrick thinks Thornhill's versatility will come in handy for the Steelers on defense.
'Juan is a guy who has a lot of experience,' Fitzpatrick said. 'He's done multiple things in all the different places he's been. He's a splash guy. He's a rangy guy, similar skillset to myself. So just having another guy out there on the field is another chess piece on the chessboard.'
In his six-year NFL career, Thornhill has recorded 337 tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, eight interceptions and 24 passes defended.
Cleveland Browns safety Juan Thornhill plays against the Baltimore Ravens during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 1, 2022, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)
Pittsburgh's defense struggled with poor communication last season, but Fitzpatrick is optimistic the additions of Slay and Thornhill will prevent that from happening again in 2025.
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'Leave no gray,' he said. 'Football, I think, should be black and white, in regards to executions, schematics. It should just be, this is how we're doing it, this is how we're gonna communicate. If I give you a thumbs up, you give me a thumbs up back. If I give you a thumbs down, you give me a thumbs down back. It's as simple as that.'
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Minkah Fitzpatrick Praises Steelers Veteran Additions to Secondary: 'There's No Real Concerns'
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