After playing literally all over the defensive front (and lining up at inside linebacker for a few plays) for the Pittsburgh Steelers in his rookie season, DL DeMarvin Leal’s role and position on the team still seem to be up in the air heading into 2023.
Mike Tomlin mentioned previously that the Steelers were going to work Leal both inside and outside during the offseason, not committing to one specific spot for the Texas A&M product. Speaking to the media Tuesday on the first day of mandatory minicamp, DL Coach Karl Dunbar was asked about Leal and what he specifically will be for the Steelers this season.
“Leal’s a football player,” Dunbar said via video from Steelers.com. “He’s a defensive lineman. He plays inside, he plays outside. He’s a smart, athletic kid that you can play almost anywhere on the front of our defense, and I think that that makes us more flexible, and it makes him special.”
GM Omar Khan mentioned at the NFL Combine that Leal’s versatility was an asset the Steelers coveted and the team didn’t want to compromise that. Dunbar seems to agree, and while Leal may get some work both inside and out on the edge, that doesn’t change the fact that this team views him as a defensive lineman who can play all over the defense and do a variety of different things when it comes to stopping the run or rushing the passer.
While this doesn’t seem like a great nod of confidence of Leal one day becoming the team’s starting 3-tech/4i to replace Cameron Heyward, he still can be a valuable piece to the DL rotation. He can kick outside on run downs to set the edge against the run and kick back inside on passing downs to use his athleticism and quickness to overwhelm opposing guards as a pass rusher.
Simply put, Leal may be a “jack of all trades, master of none” player without a definitive position, but that doesn’t mean he can’t make an impact on the defense. Dunbar seems the think he’ll be able to as well as Khan and Tomlin, praising him for his athletic profile relative to his size. We shall soon see what the snaps inside vs outside will look like for Leal in preseason action, but it appears that the fluidity of his position will continue for him in Year Two.
