The Pittsburgh Steelers will be without edge rusher Alex Highsmith again in Week 5 after he missed his first game of the season against the Indianapolis Colts on September 29. But it might not be long before a different edge rusher returns for the Steelers.
The team announced on October 2 that it has opened the practice window for outside linebacker Jeremiah Moon. With his return to the practice field, the Steelers have 21 days to place him on the active roster.
If the Steelers do not move him off injured reserve within the next three weeks, he will have to stay on IR for the rest of the season.
The Steelers also made another immediate change to their active roster and practice squad on October 2. One of those changes involved another outside linebacker.
The team announced it has signed edge rusher Jacoby Windmon to the practice squad. A 2024 undrafted free agent, Windmon spent training camp with the Steelers.
Pittsburgh also officially signed running back Aaron Shampklin to the 53-man roster.
Steelers’ Jeremiah Moon Returns to Practice
Moon wasn’t expected to be one of Pittsburgh’s top three edge rushers this season. But there was some excitement around him before his injury.
A lot of that came because the Steelers poached Moon off waivers from the Baltimore Ravens in January 2024. The Ravens waived the 25-year-old during the postseason to make room for the return of injured tight end Mark Andrews.
In eight games with the Ravens last season, Moon posted 12 combined tackles, including 1 tackles for loss and 2 forced fumbles. He played 99 defensive snaps and 142 snaps on special teams.
Moon was an undrafted free agent the Ravens signed in 2022. He suffered an ankle injury during Week 2 of the preseason, which landed him on IR.
NFL teams are permitted to activate a maximum of eight players from injured reserve every season. Moon would be the first of those eight.
The Steelers have until October 23 to activate Moon.
Steelers Re-Sign Jacoby Windmon, Promote Aaron Shampklin
Unless Moon is ready to play on October 6, which is highly unlikely, the Steelers only have two pure edge rushers healthy on the active roster.
With Windmon, that fact doesn’t change, but the Steelers have a little more edge depth they could turn to on the practice squad.
Steelers Depot’s Jonathan Heitritter described Windmon as a “toolsy” edge rusher but a defender who will not be strong against the run.
“He has a knack for forcing turnovers and has plenty of tools in his toolbox that he can rotate to throw off opposing blockers in pass protection,” Heitritter wrote. “However, his lack of ideal size makes him less of a clean fit at that position in Pittsburgh, often being a liability against the run while needing to refine his pass rush to more consistently win the corner.”
Windmon isn’t the only edge rusher the Steelers have added to their practice squad this week. On October 1, the team signed Eku Leota to the practice squad.
The Steelers also have outside linebacker Adetokunbo Ogundeji on the practice squad.
On offense, the Steelers are dealing with injury concerns at running back. Jaylen Warren and Cordarrelle Patterson have exited each of the past two weeks, respectively.
Shampklin will now provide depth in the backfield on the active roster. He made his NFL debut in Week 4 as a practice squad elevation.
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Steelers Open Practice Window for Injured Edge Rusher, Bring Back Undrafted LB