Lafayette Pitts signs with Pittsburgh Steelers

Former Pitt defensive back Lafayette Pitts signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Friday. The move addresses a need for the Steelers, as they saw their defensive backfield depth hurt by the loss of DeMarkus Acy to an ACL tear. It also returns Pitts to his hometown.

Pitts last played on the Buffalo Bills practice squad in 2020, following a brief stint with the Indianapolis Colts the same year. However, he has not seen any game action in the NFL since 2018. Pitts got his start at the professional level with the Miami Dolphins, who signed him after he went undrafted in 2016, and he made eight appearances with them as a rookie. In 2017, Pitts signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars and appeared in six games before heading north to join the Buffalo Bills, with whom he played in 26 total contests.

During his three seasons and 40 games in the league, Pitts has come up with 21 tackles but has yet to be credited with a pass breakup or pick. With that said, much of his work has been done on special teams, which has limited his ability to make an impact defensively.

The 5’11”, 195-pound defensive back played at Pitt from 2012 to 2015, taking part in 50 games and coming up with 144 tackles, six tackles for losses, one sack, four interceptions, 16 pass breakups, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery in that four-year span. He also accrued 1,196 return yards on 52 kick returns and stuck with Pitt as it transitioned from the Big East to the ACC in 2013 and from Paul Chryst to Pat Narduzzi in 2015.