Green Bay Packers: Go get Minkah Fitzpatrick

Star defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick has been granted permission to seek a trade and the Green Bay Packers should do what they can to bring him to Titletown.

It’s no secret that the Miami Dolphins are planning for the future with the moves they’ve already made and after a blow-out loss in week one to the Baltimore Ravens, a number of their players are ready to jump from the sinking ship.

Apparently, one of those players is star defensive back, Minkah Fitzpatrick who was Miami’s 11th overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft. Christ Mortenson of ESPN confirmed this as he tweeted out: “the Dolphins have granted permission to DB Minkah Fitzpatrick to seek a trade.”

Mortenson would later add: “they (the Dolphins) are not actively shopping Fitzpatrick but did not deny they have given agent Joel Segal permission to talk with other teams.”

Fitzpatrick was a highly touted player out of Alabama prior to the 2018 draft where he was a team captain, a National Champion, a unanimous All-American and one of Nick Saban’s favorite players. Coming out of college he was seen as a game-changer and someone who could “do it all” as noted in Lance Zierlein’s draft profile for NFL.com:

"“Fitzpatrick turns up the intensity level as high as it will go and rips off the knob until the game is over. Fitzpatrick has experience as a slot cornerback, but will likely be targeted as a “do-everything” safety who can be deployed as a sub-package linebacker, a blitzer or in the slot against big receivers and move tight ends. Fitzpatrick has consistently shined since his freshman season on Alabama defenses that have been loaded with NFL talent. His versatility, football character and desire to succeed should make him an early starter.”"

While 2018 was just his first season, he already appears to be living up to the hype. Fitzpatrick would play in all 16 games last season, including 11 starts where he would record two interceptions, nine pass breakups, 80 tackles, and opposing quarterbacks had a rating of just 69.0 when they targeted him.

Enter the Green Bay Packers who have what looks like a very good defensive unit after a number of offseason moves were made. With that said, if you have the opportunity to add a player like Fitzpatrick to your secondary at a discount, you should strongly consider doing it.

The Mike Pettine defense is predicated on two key aspects, athleticism and versatility, and Fitzpatrick checks both boxes. He scored a 9.05 out of 10 on the Relative Athletic Scoring table and he can play just about anywhere in the secondary.

According to Pro Football Focus, in 2018 Fitzpatrick played 379 snaps from the slot, 281 lined up out-wide, 166 as the free safety, and 95 in the box. His ability to move around the secondary and play multiple positions is exactly what Pettine looks for in his defenders and is what makes Fitzpatrick an ideal fit.

He also provides the Green Bay Packers with some insurance on the back-end as they always seem to have injury issues in the secondary. With concerns regarding Kevin King’s ability to stay on the field and knowing that Tony Brown will still take some lumps this season, adding Fitzpatrick to the mix would help alleviate those potential issues.

As far as the Dolphins’ asking price, I’m sure it will be steep but also well worth it to get a player of Fitzpatrick’s caliber on a cheap contract. Miami signed Fitzpatrick to a four year – $16.47 million rookie deal and according to Over The Cap, the Dolphins have already paid 64 percent of his rookie deal, making it an absolute bargain for whoever lands the defensive back.

If a team has the opportunity to land a second-year player with Fitzpatrick’s ability for pennies on the dollar, I’m not sure how you don’t look into it. This Green Bay Packers defense already looks like it could be special, so they should go add a player that will put them over the top. Hopefully, GM Brian Gutekunst is on the phone as we speak.