Steelers' Minkah Fitzpatrick Expected to Miss Multiple Weeks After Appendectomy

The Pittsburgh Steelers will be without safety Minkah Fitzpatrick against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Fitzpatrick won't play because of appendicitis.

ESPN's Adam Schefter added that Fitzpatrick is expected to miss multiple weeks after having an appendectomy.

The 25-year-old has missed one game this season, in Week 6 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers because of a knee injury. He was placed in the concussion protocol ahead of a Week 4 matchup against the New York Jets, but he didn't miss time.

Through seven games, the Alabama product has 45 tackles and three interceptions, one of which he returned 31 yards for a touchdown.

He racked up a career-high-tying 14 tackles in Pittsburgh's Week 1 overtime win against the Cincinnati Bengals and added that pick-six, a performance that earned him his first AFC Defensive Player of the Week award.

The No. 11 pick by the Miami Dolphins in 2018, Fitzpatrick quickly established himself as one of the best players at his position.

The Steelers acquired him in a trade in Week 3 of the 2019 season, and he earned the first of back-to-back Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro selections that year. Pittsburgh rewarded him with a four-year, $73.6 million extension prior to this season.

While Fitzpatrick is sidelined, Tre Norwood is slated to take his place in the starting lineup. The Oklahoma product, 23, has 57 career tackles, including 19 this season. He has played 25 games with six starts since he was drafted in the seventh round last year.