With all of the attention on one rookie inside linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers in third-round pick Payton Wilson Friday night against the Houston Texans in the preseason opener, another rookie linebacker quietly lurked in the shadows and ended up having a very solid showing for the Black and Gold.
That would be undrafted free agent Jacoby Windmon out of Michigan State.
As Wilson dominated the headlines and drew plenty of eyes due to his size, speed and overall athleticism, Windmon cleaned things up nicely in the fourth quarter, earning the praise of Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin along the way.
Speaking to reporters Sunday, Austin said that Windmon “helped himself” with a strong performance against the Texans.
“Yeah, he did a good job. He’s a good football player,” Austin said of Windmon, according to the transcript provided by the team. “And it’s funny because he’s had to – in a pinch in practice – had to play some outside backer for us, and inside backer, and he does a good job at both of them.
“I think when you watch him play, he’s got really good instincts, he has a really good feel for the game, he’s a good communicator, and he gets himself around the ball. So, he helped himself, I thought, this week.”
Coming out of Michigan State, Windmon was a bit of an unknown. He had largely played outside linebacker in his collegiate career at UNLV and then Michigan State, but came in a bit undersized at 6006, 235 pounds, necessitating a move to off-ball linebacker.
So far in Pittsburgh, he’s had to play both spots, at least in practice. He’s handled himself well in Austin’s eyes, and that continued Friday night against the Texans.
Windmon played 18 snaps and finished as the highest-graded Steelers’ defender on the night from Pro Football Focus, grading out at a 90.0 overall. He broke up one pass in coverage late in the game and finished with three tackles, laying the boom on one play as well.
Handling himself well at off-ball linebacker has Austin intrigued, especially with Windmon’s position versatility and pass rush chops coming out of college, where he recorded 18.5 sacks in his career.
Windmon missed most of the 2023 season with a pectoral injury, which led to him going undrafted, but his tape at UNLV and his 2022 season at Michigan State shows that there is something to work with, whether that’s off the ball or on the EDGE.
He plays hard, knows how to attack pass blockers, and has good tools in the shed. He showed off the ball Friday night that he can make plays and put himself on the radar for the coaching staff.
It’s a deep, experienced inside linebacker room for the Steelers, but if Windmon can make an impact on special teams, he should at the very least lock himself into a practice squad role for the Black and Gold.
