The Pittsburgh Steelers have released former Minnesota Vikings and UFL star Kenny Willekes, the team announced. Willekes joined the team earlier this week as quality depth with Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig injured.
Willekes played with the Michigan Panthers, and is coming off a season where he had four sacks, 31 tackles, and 28 pressures. He is largely thought of as one of the best pass rushers in the UFL.
A seventh-round pick out of Michigan State in the 2020 NFL Draft, Willekes started his career with the Minnesota Vikings. He played the next three seasons for the Vikings until 2022, but did not play in football in 2023. Later, he would join the Panthers of the UFL.
Across his three-year NFL career, Willekes has played in six games and has 2.5 sacks to his name. Now 28 years old, Willekes hoped to show enough for the Steelers to give him a shot on the practice squad.
During his time at Michigan State, Willekes earned high honors, winning the Bulsworth Trophy for best player in the nation who started his career as a walk-on, and earning First-Team All-Big 10 honors twice.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.