The Pittsburgh Steelers have brought back a familiar name to their practice squad, signing LB Jacoby Windmon according to assistant communications director Michael Bertsch on X. Windmon will wear No. 57.
The Steelers had Windmon in for a workout on Sept. 16 when Ja’Whaun Bentley also came in for a visit. They signed Bentley but released him from the practice squad earlier this week.
Windmon was initially signed as an undrafted free agent by the Steelers following the 2024 NFL Draft, receiving a $10,000 signing bonus. He didn’t make the 53-man roster in late August but circled back to the team’s practice squad a month later. He didn’t last long in Pittsburgh as the Carolina Panthers signed him to their active roster.
He appeared in eight games for the Panthers last season with two starts. He logged 22 total tackles, 1.5 sacks, one tackle for loss, two QB hits, and two passes defensed in 127 snaps on defense. He also played 91 snaps on special teams on both coverage and return units. He was credited with three special teams tackles.
The Panthers released him in November, but he circled back to their practice squad and was elevated twice on game day before being signed back to their active roster. Carolina released Windmon at roster cutdowns prior to the start of the 2025 season.
Pittsburgh just lost a depth linebacker and special teamer of its own with Jon Rhattigan signing with the Las Vegas Raiders’ active roster on Tuesday. Windmon is a nice replacement for Rhattigan as a potential special teams elevation on game day as needed throughout the season.
The Michigan State product should be plenty familiar with at least one Steelers teammate as he played two years with rookie first-round DT Derrick Harmon. Windmon weighed in at 6006, 235 pounds at his Pro Day prior to entering the league. He also ran a 4.65-second 40-yard dash, jumped a 31-inch vertical and put up 16 reps on the bench press.
