Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick has not been shy about expressing his high expectations for the defense in the 2020 NFL season. It seems he also shares the same level of confidence for the offense now that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has made a healthy return.

According to Dale Lolley of DKPittsburghSports, Fitzpatrick is confident that Roethlisberger will help lead a resurgence off offense this season:

“I expect him to be Ben Roethlisberger. He’s a great player, a playmaker,” Fitzpatrick said. “But also, I saw throughout last year, just him being around the team, he’s a great leader. I like being around him. I like hearing from him. He has a lot of experience and wisdom to share. He’s going to keep being himself, even though he was injured. He’s going to go out and compete and challenge even myself, even though I’m a defensive player. He’s going to go out and make everyone else better like he’s been doing for the past however many seasons.”

It is no secret that Roethlisberger has caught plenty of flak regarding his role as a willing mentor, Fitzpatrick's comments are indicative of the type of teammate he is, even when he is not playing.

Although the latter is still relatively new to the scene following his acquisition during the 2019 campaign, it is clear that the veteran has managed to make quite an impression.

Of course, Fitzpatrick is among those in Pittsburgh anxiously awaiting for some help from the offense following their abysmal outing last season without Roethlisberger. While the defense managed to do their part by leading the league in sacks and forced turnovers, it was not enough to overcome their deficiencies on the other side of the ball as the Steelers fell short of a playoff berth with an 8-8 record.

Roethlisberger will now be tasked with making up for the lackluster performance under center last year. Having the benefit of playing alongside a defense that is nothing short of lite should help pay huge dividends for his offense in the 2020 campaign.