Ex-Spartan, former Vikings' DE getting third shot at NFL with Steelers after UFL campaign
When defensive end Kenny Willekes was selected by the Minnesota Vikings with the 225th pick in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft, all that mattered to the former Michigan State walk-on was getting a shot at the league.
The defensive end is getting another chance in the NFL, but will the third time be the charm?
Willekes signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers Tuesday, Pro Football Newsroom's James Larsen reported. Contract details have yet to be announced.
Willekes only played six games in one season with the Vikings — injury caused Minnesota to waive him in June 2022 and he reverted to the injured reserve. The defensive end re-signed with the Vikings in March 2023 as a restricted free agent but was waived in May.
He joined the UFL on the Michigan Panthers' roster last season and tallied 21 tackles, five TFLs and four sacks before an injury sidelined him ahead of the playoffs. This year he played nine games for the Panthers and started in seven, stepping up when Breeland Sparks was injured and recording 31 tackles, 28 QB pressures and four sacks.
This contract with the Steelers is Willekes' third opportunity to make it in the NFL, but he's no stranger to a challenge. A walk-on in 2015 at Michigan State, Willekes went from riding the bench as a freshman to earning a full scholarship.
📲 Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp
The defensive end was the 2018 Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year, won the 2019 Burlsworth Trophy and received multiple all-conference first-team honors during his time with the Spartans. In 13 games as a senior in 2019, Willekes posted 10.5 quarterback takedowns, 78 tackles (16 for loss) and forced two fumbles.
It's unclear how long Willekes may be in Pittsburgh, but Steelers' fans can count on the defensive end giving it his all.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Rengifo has tiebreaking RBI single in the 8th to back Kikuchi in the Angels' 2-1 win over the Reds
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Yusei Kikuchi threw seven strong innings, Luis Rengifo hit a tiebreaking RBI single in the eighth and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Cincinnati Reds 2-1 on Wednesday night. Bryce Teodosio doubled off reliever Graham Ashcraft (7-5) to open the eighth and took third on a wild pitch. Oswald Peraza grounded out, with Teodosio holding, and Rengifo fisted an RBI single over third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes' head for the lead. Reid Detmers (4-3) struck out two in a scoreless eighth for the victory. With Angels closer Kenley Jansen unavailable because of a left rib-cage injury, Luis Garcia retired the side in order in the ninth for his first save. Both starters excelled in no-decisions, Reds right-hander Nick Martinez allowing one run and two hits in six innings, and the left-handed Kikuchi allowing one run and seven hits in seven innings, escaping a first-and-third, no-out jam in the second and a two-on, no-out jam in the sixth. The Reds took a 1-0 lead in the third when Hayes doubled and scored on Noelvi Marte's two-out RBI single. The Angels countered in the fourth on Yoán Moncada's homer to left-center, his ninth of the season. Angels shortstop Zach Neto was pulled to start the sixth because of left-wrist soreness after getting hit by a Martinez changeup in the third. Key moment A lack of communication between Teodosio, the Angels center fielder, and right fielder Jo Adell allowed Marte's lazy fly ball to drop in the gap in the sixth, putting two on with no outs. But Kikuchi got Elly De La Cruz to fly to left and Andujar and Hayes to ground out to preserve a 1-1 tie. Key stat Kikuchi finished the sixth inning once in his previous nine starts and averaged 101 pitches through an average of five innings in his previous four starts. But he was much more efficient Wednesday, needing 88 pitches to complete seven innings. Up next The Reds and Angels are off Thursday. Reds right-hander Zack Littell (9-8, 3.52 ERA) was set to start Friday night at Arizona. Angels left-hander Tyler Anderson was slated to start Friday at home against the Chicago Cubs. ___ AP MLB:
Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Yankees rookie Cam Schlittler takes a perfect game into the seventh inning
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Cam Schlittler was throwing a perfect game through six innings Wednesday night, the longest bid by a New York Yankees rookie in nearly 60 years. The 24-year-old right-hander retired the first 18 Rays he faced before Chandler Simpson led off the seventh with a single to right. Schlittler finished with 6 2/3 scoreless, one-hit innings in just his seventh major league start. He struck out eight, all swinging, and walked two. Even after losing the bid, Schlittler stayed composed. 'I wasn't really thinking about it too much, but even when he got the hit, I didn't really care that much,' Schlittler said. 'The biggest thing is that we won, and I put the team in a position to win. And I got past that five-inning mark that I have been struggling to get through my last six starts.' The Yankees did win, though Schlittler didn't factor in the decision. The Rays rallied for two runs in the ninth to tie the game before Giancarlo Stanton and Austin Wells answered with back-to-back home runs in the 10th to lift New York to a 6-4 victory at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Schlittler's outing was the longest perfect-game bid by a Yankees rookie since Fritz Peterson went 6 1/3 innings against the White Sox on July 4, 1966. For six innings, he was nearly untouchable. He never reached a three-ball count, allowed only three balls out of the infield and generated 19 swings-and-misses. 'What a performance,' Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. 'Dominant. Probably the best breaking ball he's had all year to go with the fastball. He was just filling up the strike zone.' Boone said Schlittler had a chance at a perfect game because of his efficiency — he threw 95 pitches — but noted the rookie tired in the seventh. The effort wasn't lost on his teammates. 'Amazing,' Aaron Judge said. 'To hold a perfecto that long against a scrappy team that puts the ball in play, that's tough to do.' Through seven starts, Schlittler has a 3.22 ERA with 38 strikeouts and has allowed three runs or fewer each time. ___ AP MLB:
Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Cubs OF Kyle Tucker played with a small fracture in his right hand after he got hurt in June
CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Tucker played with a small fracture in his right hand after he got hurt in June, and manager Craig Counsell said that might have contributed to his trouble at the plate. Speaking after a 4-3 victory over Milwaukee on Wednesday night, Counsell confirmed an ESPN report that detailed the extent of Tucker's injury. The All-Star slugger jammed his right ring finger during an awkward slide in a victory over Cincinnati on June 1. Initial X-rays were negative. He missed one game and then made a pinch-hitting appearance before returning to the starting lineup on June 5. 'He was sore for a little while, but was able to play,' Counsell said. 'We did some more imaging, and it showed a small fracture that was healing, and, you know, that's it. Is it possible that this has caused kind of like, playing through it, changed some things? Yeah, absolutely. I think it's probably likely that at some point that happened. But he wanted to play.' Counsell said Tucker hasn't had any more imaging since the fracture was found, and it has healed by this point. '(It) hasn't been an issue,' Counsell said. The 28-year-old Tucker hasn't played since he went 0 for 4 in Monday's 7-0 loss to Milwaukee. He has been getting some time off in hopes of helping him break out of his prolonged slump, but he could return to the lineup as soon as Thursday's series finale against the Brewers. Tucker has brushed off any questions about his health amid his offensive slump. 'I'm fine,' he said Tuesday. 'I mean, I've played, you know, for the most part every game this year. So I'm fine going out there.' Tucker was acquired in a December trade with Houston. He is eligible for free agency after this season. He got off to a terrific start this year, batting .290 with 17 homers, 52 RBIs and a .923 OPS in his first 85 games. He made the All-Star Game for the fourth time. But he hasn't been the same player since the break. He is batting .148 (8 for 54) in August, and he has just two extra-base hits — both doubles — in his last 24 games. 'The fact that he's going through that and he's trying to grind for us and get it any way he can to put himself in a good position to play, I mean that just kind of shows you the type of guy is, and the kind of teammate he is,' rookie third baseman Matt Shaw said. 'And I think for all of us, that helps motivate us as a team.' ___ AP MLB: Jay Cohen, The Associated Press
