Steelers Now
A former linebacker of the Pittsburgh Steelers is heading back to the NFC.
Former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Jacoby Windmon is signing to the Carolina Panthers practice squad, according to multiple reports.
Windmon, 24, was just released by the Steelers on Oct. 28 after signing to their practice squad on Oct. 8. In his second stint with the team, he spent three weeks on the practice squad, was not elevated and did not appear in a game.
He first joined the club as an undrafted free agent out of the 2024 NFL Draft. He was waived and re-signed to the practice squad, but ended up getting poached by the Carolina Panthers.
Windmon played in eight games and made two starts for the Panthers in 2024, recording 22 tackles, 1.5 sacks, one tackle for loss, two quarterback hits and two passes defended.
This season, he appeared in three preseason games for the Panthers, including a Week 3 contest against the Steelers. He was released in the team’s final cuts.
A native of Marrero, Louisiana, Windmon played three years at UNLV before transferring to Michigan State. He was a second-team All-Mountain West selection in 2021, when he posted his best statistical season of 119 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and one pass defended.
After transferring to Michigan State, he started eight games in 2022 before being suspended the final four games after taking part in a fight between Michigan and Michigan State players in the tunnel at Michigan Stadium.
In 2023, he returned to MSU, but played just three games before being lost to the season for a pectoral injury. He had another season of college eligibility remaining, and first announced that he was entering the transfer portal, before declaring for the 2024 NFL Draft.
In the pre-draft process, Windmon ran a 4.65-second 40-yard dash and showed decent agility but poor explosiveness and strength, posting a low 16 bench press reps and a 5.68 out of 10 overall Relative Athletic Score. He was not expected to be drafted and was the No. 501 overall player in the NFL Mock Draft Database consensus big board.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Former Steelers Hard-Hitting Linebacker Joins NFC Team
