The Detroit Lions have signed defensive back Bishop Fitzgerald off of the Pittsburgh Steelers practice squad and onto their 53-man roster. To make move for the Fitzgerald, the Lions have released veteran linebacker Joe Bachie.
Lions coach Dan Campbell telegraphed this move on Monday, noting that the team needed both a shakeup in the secondary and some help at safety after Avonte Maddox suffered a season-ending foot injury [Note: Maddox is now officially on IR]. Earlier in the week, the Lions signed
veteran Jalen Mills to their practice squad.
“We had a workout this morning just looking for a veteran guy. And then we’re looking for some of these safeties that are on other teams right now that are promising young players that we could potentially poach and bring in and let them compete,” Campbell said.
Fitzgerald went undrafted this year after playing for NC State and USC in college. In 2025, he was named First-Team All-Big Ten after tallying 51 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and five interceptions for the Trojans.
Fitzgerald initially signed with the Tennessee Titans after going undrafted, but he failed to make the team’s 53-man roster. Shortly after, he signed to the Pittsburgh Steelers practice squad, where he’s been for the last three weeks.
Here’s what NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein had to say about Fitzgerald coming out of college:
Compact, ballhawking safety prospect with alignment versatility. Fitzgerald’s consistency of execution is quite different in coverage versus run support. In coverage, he is assignment-oriented, displaying an adequate mix of route balance and response quickness. He’s clear-eyed to recognize takeaway opportunities and has the ball skills to flip the field. He can match underneath but might not have the speed to stay in-phase if the route travels deep. As a run defender, Fitzgerald plays with urgency but issues diagnosing the play and suspect pursuit angles have led to chunk runs, creating an imbalance that affects his draft grade.
The Lions still have an open spot on their 53-man roster after cutting Bachie and putting Maddox on injured reserve. We’ll see if any other moves are coming before Sunday’s matchup against the New York Jets.
