Pittsburgh Steelers free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick had a banner year in his sophomore season.
Fitzpatrick was named First-Team All-Pro after racking up five interceptions, two forced fumbles, and multiple defensive touchdowns in 2019, including a 96-yard interception return against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 9.
However, Fitzpatrick has even loftier goals for 2020.
The former first-round pick said he wants to be the Defensive Player of the Year this season during an appearance on ESPN's “First Take” while also noting his desire to consistently build on previous performances (via Allison Koehler of USA TODAY):
“Every single year, I want to top what I did the past year,” said Fitzpatrick on ESPN’s “First Take“. “I think I grew a whole lot from my first year to my second year. Now I’m just going to continue to try to grow from my second year to my third year.”
Besides winning DPOY, his personal goals are to repeat All-Pro and the Pro Bowl and lead defensive backs in “at least” three or four categories.
Fitzpatrick galvanized Pittsburgh's defense when they acquired him from the Miami Dolphins last September. All five of his interceptions came in his first seven games with the team, and the Steelers went 5-2 in that stretch.
However, opposing quarterbacks simply refused to test Fitzpatrick in the secondary down the stretch, and the Steelers eventually tumbled out of the playoff picture due losses in each of their final three games.
Still, the Steelers figure to get back on track with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger returning under center, and Fitzpatrick is hungry to assert himself as a wrecking ball on the defensive side of the ball.