The Pittsburgh Steelers announced signing a wide receiver and defensive back to their practice squad Tuesday. The reason they had a vacant spot to sign one of those players was because the Steelers lost safety Bishop Fitzgerald to the Detroit Lions.
According to the NFL transaction wire, the Lions poached Fitzgerald off the Steelers practice squad. To do that, the Lions signed the safety to their active roster.
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein projected Fitzgerald to be a fifth-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. But despite his ballskills, the safety went undrafted this past spring.
“Compact, ballhawking safety prospect with alignment versatility. Fitzgerald’s consistency of execution is quite different in coverage versus run support,” Zierlein wrote. “In coverage, he is assignment-oriented, displaying an adequate mix of route balance and response quickness. He’s clear-eyed to recognize takeaway opportunities and has the ball skills to flip the field.
“He can match underneath but might not have the speed to stay in-phase if the route travels deep. As a run defender, Fitzgerald plays with urgency but issues diagnosing the play and suspect pursuit angles have led to chunk runs, creating an imbalance that affects his draft grade.”
Fitzgerald joined the Steelers practice squad on September 2 after spending training camp with the Tennessee Titans. His tenure in Pittsburgh ended after about three weeks.
As NFL rules permit, the Steelers had the option to sign Fitzgerald to their active roster before the Lions could. Pittsburgh elected not to do that.
“Players can also decline being signed off a practice squad, but Fitzgerald was unlikely to turn down the chance to join a 53-man roster and the increased chance for playing time (and paycheck) that comes with it,” wrote Steelers Depot’s Alex Kozora.
Steelers Lose Safety Bishop Fitzgerald Off Practice Squad to Lions
The Steelers didn’t find a way to keep Fitzgerald on Tuesday, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a loss. There just wasn’t a way for the Steelers to find space for Fitzgerald on the active roster.
With the Lions, their hope of stashing him on the practice squad ended.
The safety is an intriguing prospect, having made the All-American team as a senior at USC last season. He also played college football at NC State.
In 2025, Fitzgerald posted five interceptions with three pass defenses. He also had 51 combined tackles, including 2.5 for loss and a sack in 10 games.
At NC State from 2023-24 to begin his collegiate career, the safety had 97 combined tackles, including 7.5 for loss, 11 pass defenses and five interceptions in 26 contests.
The Lions are adding Fitzgerald to try and help their depleted, struggling secondary. Detroit has yielded the second-most passing yards in the league after two weeks. The Lions also just also Pitt alum Avonte Maddox from their secondary and are still missing starting safeties Brian Branch and Kaleb Joseph.
To replace Fitzgerald, the Steelers signed defensive back Darius Rush to their practice squad. Pittsburgh also added veteran wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins to the practice squad Tuesday.
Steelers Lose ‘Ballhawking’ Safety to Lions