Steelers' Preseason Standout Dez Fitzpatrick Is Set Up For Success In New Home

The Pittsburgh Steelers just went through the worst part of the offseason where they had to finalize their 53-man roster. Every organization despises this time of year. They have to trim their roster from 90 players to just 53, while planning on who to bring back to the practice squad. There are always some surprises when roster cuts roll around, and for the Steelers, one of them may have been parting ways with wide receiver Dez Fitzpatrick. 

By no means was Fitzpatrick going to be a huge impact player for the Steelers during the 2024 season, but he could have been a surprise in a wide receiver room that may struggle. The wide receiver had a pretty solid training camp which he paired with a great preseason performance. Pittsburgh waived Fitzpatrick at the end of training camp, and he has since signed with the Los Angeles Chargers' practice squad which the team announced on Monday.

The Chargers are one of the few teams in the NFL with a wide receiver room that is possibly worse than the one in Pittsburgh. Currently, two of their starters are expected to be a rookie wide receiver in Ladd McConkey and a second-year wide receiver in Quentin Johnston. McConkey has a lot of excitement around him, while Johnston underperformed mightily during his rookie year in 2023.

Fitzpatrick hasn't had a very successful NFL career up until this point. He was a fourth-round pick of the Tennessee Titans back in 2021, but was only with Tennessee for two seasons. He signed a futures contract with the Steelers during the 2023 offseason, and was waived at the end of training camp. The organization brought him back to the practice squad, and he was elevated for one game before returning to the practice squad. He has caught just five balls in his career, all with the Titans in 2021. He recorded 49 receiving yards and one touchdown. 

Now, he gets his next shot in Los Angeles. He will begin the year on the practice squad, but there is certainly a path to the active roster for the youngster. The last receiver on the depth chart for the Chargers is Simi Fehoko, who spent time with the Steelers in 2023. The room in Los Angeles is relatively young and inexperienced outside of Joshua Palmer and DJ Chark, and if the passing game struggles early on, Fitzpatrick could certainly be elevated. 

The receiver showed some flashes during the 2024 preseason. He led the Steelers in receiving in two out of their three games, and made a beautiful deep catch in the preseason finale. If he gets his chance in Los Angeles, the receiver could make the Steelers regret their decision.

Steelers Left Some Stunned By Moving On From Fitzpatrick

Fitzpatrick seemed to play well enough during the preseason to make the final roster as the last receiver. Many thought that his big play in the preseason finale was a good exclamation point on a spectacular preseason, but the organization felt it wasn't enough. Pittsburgh only kept five wide receivers on their initial 53-man roster, when they usually keep six.

Some thought this open spot was the organization preparing to land Brandon Aiyuk through a trade with the San Francisco 49ers, and that obviously didn't work out. Pittsburgh instead cut ties completely with Fitzpatrick, but they did bring back Quez Watkins on the practice squad.

Pittsburgh may still want to make some additions to the receivers room before the season officially kicks off, or they may wait and see how their current wide receiver group performs.

What are your expectations for Fitzpatrick with the Chargers? Will the Steelers regret moving on from him? Let us know in the comments below!

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