The Pittsburgh Steelers made a few moves on Tuesday, placing LB Kwon Alexander on Injured Reserve after suffering a torn Achilles against the Green Bay Packers in Week 10. Pittsburgh also released TE Scotty Washington and OG Joey Fisher from the practice squad. The team announced the moves today.
It was just a matter of time before Pittsburgh placed Alexander on IR, as he tore his Achilles against Green Bay and will miss the remainder of the 2023 season. His loss will be felt as he was in the midst of an impressive season with Pittsburgh.
In addition, Pittsburgh opened up two spots on its practice squad by releasing Fisher and Washington. Fisher — out of Shepherd University, the same school that produced Chicago Bears QB Tyson Bagent — was signed to Pittsburgh’s practice squad Aug. 30 and had stayed there for the season. Fisher was a tackle at Shepherd who put up 40 reps at his Pro Day, one of the top marks of any draft-eligible player. Measuring in at 6041, 296 pounds, he ran a 5.03 40 with a 32-inch vertical. He spent the preseason and training camp with the San Francisco 49ers.
Washington worked out and signed with Pittsburgh on Oct. 24. Undrafted in 2020 out of Wake Forest, Washington has spent time with the New England Patriots and Cincinnati Bengals, playing in one NFL game with New England. He never played a game with Pittsburgh, and with Pat Freiermuth looking like he could get his practice window activated off IR this week, Pittsburgh decided to move on from Washington.
Fisher seemed to have some promise, but with the Steelers being hit with injury issues at various positions, particularly inside linebacker, it’s clear they’re prioritizing adding depth elsewhere. The moves opened up two spots on Pittsburgh’s practice squad, so it seems as if more moves are likely to be coming at some point this week. We’ll see where Pittsburgh looks to add with two spots now open and also one spot open on the 53-man roster with Alexander going on IR.
