The Detroit Lions are moving on from undrafted rookie defensive back Bishop Fitzgerald without the 23-year-old playing a snap.
The Lions announced Tuesday they released Fitzgerald from the active roster.
Detroit added Fitzgerald as a practice squad poach from the Pittsburgh Steelers in September. The Lions made the addition after struggling in the first two weeks of the season in pass defense.
Fitzgerald spent the past six weeks on the team’s active roster, but he didn’t appear in a game. Fitzgerald was a healthy scratch every contest from Weeks 3-8.
Although he went unselected, the safety received praise for his versatility during the draft process this past spring.
“Compact, ballhawking safety prospect with alignment versatility,” NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote to summarize Fitzgerald.
With the defensive back now off the roster, the Lions have cleared a spot on their active roster. They also opened space by placing rookie linebacker Jimmy Rolder on injured reserve.
The Lions announced both moves on their official X account Tuesday afternoon.
Head coach Dan Campbell told reporters Monday that Rolder would miss the rest of the 2026 season. Rolder suffered a hamstring injury Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.
Lions Announce Releasing Safety Bishop Fitzgerald
Fitzgerald was an interesting addition to Detroit’s roster roughly six weeks ago. The intrigue went up another level when Campbell admitted to reporters following his signing the team had its eyes on Fitzgerald for a while.
After going undrafted, Fitzgerald signed with the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent. He spent all of training camp and the preseason with the Titans before Tennessee waived him at the August roster deadline.
A few days after that, the Steelers inked Fitzgerald to their practice squad. The safety spent the first two weeks of the season in Pittsburgh before the Lions poached him for their active roster.
At the time, the Detroit secondary was reeling. The Lions still went through tough games after signing Fitzgerald, but the unit steadied itself beginning about a month ago.
The past three games, the Lions defense has played much better, particularly in pass defense.
In Week 7, Detroit held Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers to 264 passing yards. Then this past Sunday, the Lions allowed only 185 passing yards to Kyler Murray and the Minnesota Vikings.
Lions Officially Place Jimmy Rolder on Injured Reserve
Detroit placing Rolder on IR doesn’t come as a surprise at all. The transaction became a mere formality after Campbell delivered the bad news on the linebacker Monday.
“Jimmy Rolder is going to require surgery, or he could,” said Campbell. “The point is this is a significant injury. He’ll be out for the season.”
Rolder suffered his hamstring injury on the first play of the fourth quarter, which was the same play where Jack Campbell sustained his neck injury. Rolder appeared to get a non-contact injury behind the play.
The Lions landed Rolder at No. 118 overall in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. The linebacker had 11 combined tackles, including three for loss in five games this season. He also had one quarterback hit and one sack.
Lions Part Ways With Versatile Safety