Steelers Add Familiar Ex-Viking to Roster
Kenny Willekes is back in the NFL — at least for a week.
The Pittsburgh Steelers signed a former Minnesota Vikings pass rusher, giving him another NFL opportunity after a sweet stint in the UFL in the spring.
The former Minnesota Vikings pass rusher stood off the page in the UFL a few months ago, and he has now successfully parlayed that performance into a summer contract.
Willekes is a Pittsburgh Steeler.
Steelers Onboard Once-Promising Former Viking
The next step is to see if Willekes has the juice for Pittsburgh’s active roster.
Steelers Sign DE Kenny Willekes
Needing reinforcements for a recent injury to Nick Herbig, the Steelers took the plunge with Willekes on Tuesday.
NBC Sports‘ Myles Simmons announced: “The Steelers have made a pair of roster moves on Tuesday. Pittsburgh announced the club has signed linebacker Kenny Willekes. A Vikings seventh-round pick in 2020, Willekes appeared in six games for Minnesota in 2021. He recorded 2.5 sacks and seven quarterback hits with one pass defensed. Since late 2023, Willekes has been with the Michigan Panthers of the USFL/UFL.”
Willekes would’ve had a better shot of making Pittsburgh’s September roster if it had signed him before training camp, but he’ll battle for the next seven days nevertheless.
Continuation of UFL Performance
Willekes recently turned heads in the UFL, an offshoot professional league once known as the XFL.
The veteran defender tabulated 3.5 sacks, six tackles for loss, and 31 tackles, with an 86.0 Pro Football Focus grade for his troubles. He didn’t partake in the UFL Championship when his Michigan Panthers lost to the DC Defenders, a team led by former Vikings passer Jordan Ta’amu, due to a hip injury.
Still, Willekes did enough in the UFL to get a look from Pittsburgh.
Willekes with the Vikings
Former Vikings general manager Rick Spielman drafted Willekes late in the 2020 draft, the same forum that produced Justin Jefferson and Josh Metellus.
He later banked 202 defensive snaps in Minnesota, all in 2021, and totaled 9 quarterback pressures, 2.5 sacks, and 18 total tackles. Thereafter, injuries habitually sullied Willekes’ time in the Twin Cities. There was always something wrong with him, preventing him from reaching the regular season roster.
The Steelers’ OLBs
With Willekes in the house and before roster cuts next week, these are Pittsburgh’s outside linebackers:
- T.J. Watt
- Alex Highsmith
- Jack Sawyer
- Nick Herbig
- DeMarvin Leal
- Eku Leota
- Julius Welschof
- Kenny Willekes
Head coach Mike Tomlin will keep around five of those players, so the practice squad might be a realistic destination for Willekes.
More on Willekes
Our own Janik Eckardt wrote about Willekes earlier this summer, “Willekes led the UFL in QB hits with 14; nobody else had more than ten. His 86.0 PFF grade ranked him fourth among all UFL defenders with at least 200 snaps. In nine games, Willekes secured 3.5 sacks, six tackles for loss, and 31 tackles. He added one forced fumble.”
“He helped the Panthers make the trip to the postseason, but missed both playoff games with an injury. Ultimately, Michigan was defeated in the UFL Championship Game by Jordan Ta’amu’s DC Defenders. Willekes wasn’t the most physically gifted defender in the draft, so despite his motor and his college production, he dropped to the 225th pick.”
Willekes has one week to prove he belongs on the Steelers’ regular season roster. Roster cuts occur on August 26th.
“His tenure with the Vikings was overshadowed by injuries. He missed his entire rookie season with a leg injury but bounced back in year two when the Vikings desperately needed some pass-rush from the edges. Willekes contributed in six games, collecting 18 tackles and 2.5 sacks in his first year of game action while playing 202 defensive snaps and 27 on special teams,” Eckardt continued.
“Unfortunately, he couldn’t build on that season because a torn ACL cost him the entire 2022 season, and the Vikings released him in the 2023 offseason. He will turn 28 next month, and there’s a good chance someone will offer him a try-out in training camp.”
Eckardt nailed. It’s Pittsburgh for Willekes.
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