Steelers A to Z: Undrafted Jacoby Windmon trying to win spot at outside linebacker
Editor’s note: From now until the first practice of training camp at Saint Vincent College, TribLive is running through the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 90-man roster, looking at each player and assessing his outlook for the 2024 season. The breakdown will run in alphabetical order with at least two players each day between June 14 and July 25. Contract data courtesy spotrac.com.
LB Jacoby Windmon
Experience/age: Rookie/Turns 23 in August
Contract status: $798,333 cap hit if he makes the team in 2024
The past: Windmon accepted a $10,000 bonus to sign with the Steelers after going undrafted this year. He spent his final two college seasons at Michigan State and the first three at UNLV.
Windmon had 41 games of playing experience in college, including 30 at UNLV before he transferred to the Big Ten. In 11 games at Michigan State, he had 64 tackles, including 12.5 for loss, and 6.5 sacks to go with six forced fumbles, two pass breakups and one interception.
He started eight games in 2022 before he was among the players suspended for fighting with Michigan players inside the tunnel at Michigan Stadium. He returned to start the first three games of 2023 before injuring his pectoral muscle.
The injury kept Windmon out of the lineup for the rest of his senior season. He had a chance to return for a sixth year, but he elected to declare for the draft.
Jacoby Windmon is going to be lethal this season pic.twitter.com/uo2PvgSwQb
— ???????????????????????????? ???????????? (@SpartyOn70) July 26, 2023
2024 outlook: The 6-foot-2, 250-pound Windmon also was used at defensive end at Michigan State, which would translate into a spot at outside linebacker in the Steelers’ 3-4 defense. With his size, he also could be used on the inside. The Steelers are seeking depth at both spots this summer.
Windmon’s competition at outside linebacker includes David Perales, Jeremiah Moon, Kyron Johnson and Julius Welschof, another undrafted free agent from the 2024 class. Nick Herbig is set as the No. 3 outside linebacker behind starters T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith.
Joe Rutter is a TribLive reporter who has covered the Pittsburgh Steelers since the 2016 season. A graduate of Greensburg Salem High School and Point Park, he is in his fifth decade covering sports for the Trib. He can be reached at jrutter@triblive.com.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.