The Los Angeles Chargers have signed former Pittsburgh Steelers WR Dez Fitzpatrick to the practice squad, the team announced Monday evening.
Fitzpatrick pushed for a 53-man roster spot in Pittsburgh but ultimately lost out there and also on a practice squad spot, assuming he didn’t decline an opportunity.
A good camp last year allowed Fitzpatrick to stick to the practice squad throughout 2023. He was elevated for one game, logging three special teams snaps in a Week Four loss to the Houston Texans.
He entered camp this year on the bubble. Getting plenty of starter reps as a gunner, he struggled to take advantage and make plays as the Steelers’ punt coverage unit struggled. New P Cameron Johnston produced one of the worst net punts of the preseason, in part due to below-average coverage.
His biggest play came in the preseason finale, hauling in a 59-yard catch-and-run against the Detroit Lions.
Our camp notes produced a C-grade.
“A slow start for Dez Fitzpatrick, including a terrible drop after working his way wide open down the left sideline early in camp. But he improved from there, finishing the summer with 123 yards and three touchdowns. Respectable numbers. His hands are just ok but he played and moved with more confidence this camp after entering last year as a reserve trying to avoid being cut every day.
Special teams is his top asset and he’s worked as a starting gunner through the team’s first two preseason outings. Results have been mixed and he hasn’t done enough to lock down the job but there’s still a path to make the team as a No. 5 wide receiver. He made a nice concentration catch along the sideline against the Bills for one of the few offensive highlights of the night.”
Pittsburgh kept five receivers on the 53-man roster: George Pickens, Van Jefferson, Calvin Austin III, Roman Wilson, and Scotty Miller. They added three practice squad receivers. Quez Watkins stuck with the team after spending camp with Pittsburgh while the organization added Brandon Johnson and Ben Skowronek from the outside, the latter known for his special teams ability.
Drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the fourth round of the 2021 draft from Louisville, Fitzpatrick has appeared in six games. As a rookie, he caught five passes for 49 yards and one touchdown. He’s yet to catch a pass since. Now, he’ll try to crack a relatively weak Chargers’ wide receiver room in the first year under head coach Jim Harbaugh.
