The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed free agent wide receiver Jakobie Keeney-James , to a one-year deal, the team announced on Tuesday.
The Steelers tried out Keeney-James, along with seven other players, on July 31. He was signed after Cole Burgess was waived with an injury designation after suffering an apparently significant knee injury on Monday, Aug. 3.
Keeney-James, 25, is a 6-foot, 190-pound wide receiver in his second professional season out of UMass. He signed with the Detroit Lions after not being selected in the 2025 NFL Draft . He was waived on Aug. 26 as part of final roster cuts, after failing to make a catch on two targets in the preseason.
On Sept. 23, Keeney-James was signed to the Packers' practice squad. He played in one game with the Packers after being elevated to the 53-man roster for the team's regular season finale against the Minnesota Vikings. He had two receptions for 15 yards and returned two kicks for 47 yards in his NFL debut. Keeney-James was released by the Packers in June.
Jakobie Keeney-James, UMass Athletics
Born in Las Vegas and raised in Southern California, Keeney-James was an unranked recruit coming out of Redlands (Calif.) High School. He attended Eastern Washington at the FCS level and redshirted as a freshman before becoming a minor contributor over the next few seasons. He missed all of 2023 with an injury, and then transferred to UMass for his final collegiate season in 2024.
With the Minutemen, he had a career season, recording 50 catches for 830 yards and six touchdowns, more than doubling his previous career total in yards.
The post Steelers Sign Sleeper Wide Receiver Prospect appeared first on Steelers Now .
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