Steelers' Minkah Fitzpatrick Out vs. Titans in Week 9 with Hamstring Injury

Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick will not play in Thursday's game against the Tennessee Titans because of a hamstring injury, coach Mike Tomlin told reporters on Monday.

Tomlin also said that the "door is ajar" for quarterback Kenny Pickett—who left Sudnay's 20-10 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars with a rib injury—to play.

Fitzpatrick suffered the injury during the first quarter of Sunday's game. While trailing Jaguars wide receiver Christian Kirk down the field, Fitzpatrick clutched his hamstring and went down with a non-contact injury.

He was ultimately ruled out for the rest of the game.

The 26-year-old Fitzpatrick has been one of the NFL's top safeties throughout his career, earning three Pro Bowl nods and three first-team All-Pro selections over his first five seasons.

Originally selected 11th overall by the Miami Dolphins out of Alabama in the 2018 NFL draft, Fitzpatrick was traded to Pittsburgh early in 2019 season, and he has been a pivotal player for the Steelers ever since.

After failing to earn a Pro Bowl or All-Pro selection in 2021 for the first time since his rookie year, Fitzpatrick bounced back in 2022 with arguably the best season of his career.

Starting and appearing in 15 games, Fitzpatrick led the NFL with a career-high six interceptions, while adding 96 tackles and 11 passes defended.

Entering play Sunday, the Steelers were 4-2 on the season, and their defense was a big reason why.

While Fitzpatrick has yet to record an interception this season, he had a remarkable 52 tackles in his first six games.

Aside from Fitzpatrick, the secondary is arguably the biggest weakness of the Pittsburgh defense, so they can ill afford to be without him for a significant amount of time.

Keanu Neal has been the primary starter at the other safety spot across from Fitzpatrick this season, while Damontae Kazee has been the primary backup and replaced Fitzpatrick on Sunday after he exited.

If the Steelers determine that Fitzpatrick is likely to miss multiple weeks, they could potentially be in the market for a safety ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline.