Steelers A to Z: Once drafted by Maulers, Jacob Slade trying to earn spot on defensive line

Editor’s note: From now until the first practice of training camp at Saint Vincent College, TribLive is running through the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 90-man roster, looking at each player and assessing his outlook for the 2024 season. The breakdown will run in alphabetical order with at least two players each day between June 14 and July 25. Contract data courtesy spotrac.com.

DL Jacob Slade

Experience/age: First year, no NFL experience/24

Contract status: $795,000 cap hit if he makes the team

The past: A four-year contributor on the defensive line at Michigan State, Slade signed with the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2023. Slade was among the team’s roster cuts after the preseason, but the Cardinals brought him back on four occasions to the practice squad.

Slade joined the Steelers when they offered a reserve/futures contract in January. Slade’s familiarity with the organization comes from Sheldon White, the team’s director of pro scouting. White was the director of player personnel and recruiting when Slade enrolled at Michigan State.

Slade attended Michigan State despite growing up in the Columbus suburb of Lewis Center, Ohio. In his four seasons with the Spartans, he started 26 of 42 games and totaled 88 tackles, including 11.5 for loss. He also had four sacks, four pass breakups and one fumble recovery.

Slade started 12 games as a junior but was limited to seven starts and eight games because of injury when he was a senior in 2022.

Although Slade went undrafted by the NFL in 2023, he was taken by the Pittsburgh Maulers in the USFL draft that spring. Now, he’s trying to make it with the city’s “other” professional football team.

2024 outlook: Slade is 6-foot-3, 293 pounds, making him suited to play on the interior of the defensive line. Given the amount of depth on the Steelers defensive line, Slade should be viewed as a developmental prospect.

The Steelers have 12 defensive linemen on the offseason roster, meaning the numbers are stacked against Slade making the 53-man roster. He and Willington Previlon, who was signed to the roster after minicamp concluded, are the only defensive linemen without previous NFL experience.