Minkah Fitzpatrick just said what Dolphins fans needed to hear

When the Miami Dolphins traded for Minkah Fitzpatrick, they knew they were getting a good player who also came with some baggage. There were knocks on him in Pittsburgh, and Dolphins fans could only shake their heads knowing it would bubble to the surface.

Fitzpatrick wasn't one of those guys in the locker room that players looked up to for leadership, but his return to the franchise that drafted him is turning into something else, something needed. Fitzpatrick is becoming the leader that he wasn't in Pittsburgh.

After the team's week 13 victory, Mike McDaniel named him in his postgame locker room speech. His game-clinching pick-two in the final minutes may have been the game-saving play. After McDaniel finished talking, Fitzpatrick had his own message for his teammates.

Minkah Fitzpatrick says there is no place he would rather be than with the Dolphins

If it sounds like a recording, it might be. It was the same comments that Jaelan Phillips made after he was traded to the Eagles.

The Dolphins' defense is playing better than they have all season long. The defensive line is stepping up, not as a single player, but as a unit. The much-maligned secondary is playing like they know what they are doing, and the safety position is being led by Fitzpatrick.

"No other group I would rather be doing this with, no other group. Love y'all, let's keep stacking. Let's bang out these last five."

Minkah Fitzpatrick.

This is a far cry from what Fitzpatrick was the first time around with the Dolphins and the last year or two in Pittsburgh. Some of this can be attributed to the coaching style of McDaniel, as well as the confidence Anthony Weaver, Jr. has shown in his players.

Weaver's defense has stepped up considerably after the opening weeks of the season set the team so far behind. With a lot of new faces, injuries, and guys that were not on the roster for training camp expected to start, Weaver has turned his unit around. Apparently enough to impress his starting safety.

Only time will tell if the Dolphins can really make a run to finish this season, but they clearly have the right mindset to get the job done.