Steelers sign former first-round QB to practice squad, place Sean Davis on injured reserve

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers added another quarterback to the mix one day after Ben Roethlisberger announced he would be out for the remainder of the season with an elbow injury.

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Paxton Lynch, a former first-round quarterback out of the University of Memphis, was signed to the Steelers' practice squad Tuesday after losing Roethlisberger for the season.

Roethlisberger went down early in Week 2 with the elbow injury, and he is expected to undergo surgery to repair it.

Second-year quarterback Mason Rudolph will take over the reins as the Steelers' starting quarterback in the interim, and they resigned Devlin ‘Duck' Hodges – a fan favorite in the preseason – to back up Rudolph.

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Lynch was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft, the 26th pick overall. Lynch played in five games with four starts and was waived shortly after making the initial 53-man roster in 2018.

He didn't play in the 2018 season and signed a futures contract with Seattle after the season. The Seahawks waived him this year when they had to get down to the 53-man roster.

Pittsburgh's starting safety Sean Davis, who was injured during the team's home opener against the Seattle Seahawks, was also placed on the team's Reserve/Injured List to open a roster spot for newly acquired Minkah Fitzpatrick.

Fitzpatrick was acquired by the Steelers Monday night in exchange for a 2020 first-round draft pick. In a Tuesday press conference, head coach Mike Tomlin said Fitzpatrick will play safety for the Steelers against San Francisco.

Cox Media Group