After losing starting WR Mike Williams to a torn ACL, the Los Angeles Chargers are signing Pittsburgh Steelers WR Simi Fehoko off the practice squad. Fehoko, a former fifth round pick of the Dallas Cowboys, was signed by the Steelers shortly after final cutdowns last month. He had spent the first three weeks of the season on the practice squad.
Fehoko broke the news of being signed by the Chargers on his TikTok page, showing himself at a Detroit airport on a layover waiting for a flight to LA. He said his agent told him the news earlier today. The video was posted around 10:30 PM/EST.
@simifehoko13 Did somebody say plot twist? #nfl #blessed #movingagain #newbeginnings ♬ original sound – Simi Fehoko
The cousin of Steelers’ NT Breiden Fehoko, Simi was a height/weight/speed player coming out of Stanford. Over his final two years with the Cardinal, he had more than 1,000 yards receiving and nine touchdowns. Dallas drafted him in 2021 but he struggled to make an impact, appearing in just ten games his first two years. A shoulder injury limited him in 2022.
The Cowboys cut Fehoko at final cutdowns and he signed with the Steelers soon after.
Every team who loses a player off their practice squad is afforded the opportunity to promote them to their 53-man roster. Clearly, the Steelers chose not to. That’s despite a wide receiver room dealing with injuries. Starting wideout Diontae Johnson is on IR due to a Week One hamstring injury while Gunner Olszewski missed Sunday night’s game due to a concussion. He struggled in his lone appearance against the Cleveland Browns in Week Two. Last week, the team signed WR Dez Fitzpatrick, a preseason standout, off the practice squad and to the 53-man roster.
Williams suffered the severe knee injury in Sunday’s 28-24 win over the Minnesota Vikings, Los Angeles’ first win of the year. Prior to getting hurt, Williams was having a big game catching seven passes for 121 yards and a touchdown. Without him, the team will focus on Keenan Allen even more, who caught a whopping 18 passes in the win. There’s also rookie Quentin Johnston, though he has only five receptions through the team’s first three contests.
With Fehoko a Charger, the two receivers on the Steelers’ practice squad are Jacob Copeland and Duece Watts. Both players were added after the regular season began.
