Steelers make a pair of intriguing roster moves after Lions poach one of their young talents in an effort to build up the defense
The Pittsburgh Steelers lost rookie safety Bishop Fitzgerald to Detroit, but the front office didn’t sit around. The two additions could signal some concerning news about key players on both sides of the ball.
The Pittsburgh Steelers got poached by the Detroit Lions on Tuesday, losing rookie safety Bishop Fitzgerald off their practice squad. As my colleague Mike Payton over at A to Z Sports Detroit reported, Detroit went right into Pittsburgh’s backyard and plucked a player the Steelers valued enough to keep over in-house candidates during training camp.
Fitzgerald had yet to play for the Steelers, so a lot of fans won’t see this as a major loss. But it’s important to realize he was on the practice squad over other options because the Titans cut him and Pittsburgh scooped him up for a reason. He was a ball hawk, and that’s something the Steelers coveted.
Steelers respond with 2 moves of their own
Pittsburgh didn’t just sit around. The Steelers signed wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins and defensive back Darius Rush. If Rush’s name sounds familiar, it should. He previously spent time with the Steelers and was at one time a lauded draft prospect who hasn’t exactly panned out yet.
These two moves have a lot of people wondering what they mean, and the implications could be significant for the Steelers’ Week 4 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals.
What the Hodgins signing could mean for Michael Pittman Jr.
The addition of a wide receiver to the roster could signal that Michael Pittman Jr.’s foot injury is more serious than initially believed. It could mean Pittman is headed for short-term IR. We don’t know yet. Pittsburgh will probably provide clarity on Wednesday afternoon, but the Hodgins signing feels like a potential reinforcement at the position.
Darius Rush and the Joey Porter Jr. situation
As for Rush, a lot of people think this is yet another sign that Joey Porter Jr. is not going to suit up this week for the Steelers. The truth is, whether they signed a defensive back to the practice squad or even traded for somebody, I don’t see a world where Porter thinks it’s smart to strap up for the first time all year against Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and arguably the best offense in the NFL.
Porter is coming off a ramp-up period in the middle of a contract dispute. His first game action of 2026 against that Cincinnati Bengals offense would be a brutal re-entry point.
The bottom line is this: the Steelers lost a player to Detroit and added two names who could serve as reinforcements for Pittman and Porter. We’ll see where exactly all of this goes for Pittsburgh, but the roster maneuvering tells a story worth paying attention to heading into Week 3.
