Steelers sign four players to futures contracts on Wednesday

The Pittsburgh Steelers have reached agreements with four players on futures contracts, NFL insider Aaron Wilson reported Wednesday. The signees are receiver Dez Fitzpatrick, cornerback Madre Harper, safety Kenny Robinson and cornerback Chris Wilcox.

Of the four players, Robinson brings the most NFL experience, appearing in 19 games with one start across the 2020 and 2021 seasons. The West Virginia product recorded 18 tackles across that span. He and Harper were both members of the Panthers practice squad this past season, though neither recorded any stats.

Fitzpatrick was a fourth-round pick out of Louisville in the 2021 NFL Draft. He spent the past two seasons with the Tennessee Titans, appearing in five games to record five catches for 49 yards and a touchdown.

Wilcox was a seventh-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, but has not recorded any stats in his two years in the league. He was most recently a member of the Arizona Cardinals practice squad in 2022.

According to the NFL’s rules regarding futures contracts, the players the Steelers signed will not count against the salary cap or roster limit for the current season. However, it does prevent them from negotiating with other teams. When the time comes to sign free agents heading into next season, Pittsburgh will have first priority for these players.

The Steelers finished this past season 9-8, keeping coach Mike Tomlin’s streak of consecutive seasons at or above .500 alive. Despite this, Pittsburgh unfortunately missed out on the playoffs for just the sixth time in Tomlin’s 16 seasons.