Defensive captain Cameron Heyward officially was placed on injured reserve Thursday by the Pittsburgh Steelers, who also promoted a player from the practice squad to help fill the loss of wide receiver Diontae Johnson.
By heading to injured reserve, Heyward will miss at least the next four games after undergoing surgery to repair a groin injury sustained Sunday in a 30-7 loss to San Francisco. The Steelers replaced him on the 53-man roster by promoting wide receiver Dez Fitzpatrick.
Fitzpatrick gives the Steelers another option with Johnson missing the game Monday night against Cleveland – and potentially a few others – with a hamstring injury. A fourth-round pick of the Tennessee Titans in 2021, Fitzpatrick signed a futures contract with the Steelers in January but did not make final roster cuts.
At 6-foot-2, 208 pounds, Fitzpatrick provides a tall target for quarterback Kenny Pickett, and he played an outside receiver position in 2021 with the Titans when he caught five passes for 49 yards and one touchdown in four games. He appeared in one game last season with Tennessee and spent the rest of the year on the Titans’ practice squad.
The Steelers also made several moves to the practice squad, bringing back cornerback Luq Barcoo and running back Greg Bell, who were released two days prior. Safety Josiah Scott was placed on the practice squad injured list, and cornerback Anthony Brown was released. Brown spent seven years in Dallas but his final season with the Cowboys was cut short in Week 13 when he sustained a torn Achilles tendon.
To no surprise, Johnson did not participate in practice Thursday because of his hamstring injury. Neither did running back Anthony McFarland, who sat with a knee injury.
Four players were limited in practice: right tackle Chuks Okorafor (concussion), right guard James Daniels (ankle), tight end Pat Freiermuth (chest) and defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi (foot).
