It came against backups last week in Tampa, but the Pittsburgh Steelers and their young talent impressed in their opening preseason game. They should find that they have a stiffer challenge awaiting them tonight at Acrisure Stadium as they host the Buffalo Bills.
Not only do they have a more talented roster, but they are also expected to actually play their starters for a reasonable amount of time. Accordingly, it should provide a more accurate litmus test for where things stand on Pittsburgh’s roster, both collectively and individually. Former Steelers defender Chris Hoke shared which two players he will have his eyes on tonight, picking out two rookie defenders.
“Keeanu Benton”, he started out, unsurprisingly on the defensive line. He told Andrew Fillipponi and Chris Muller on 93.7 The Fan that the rookie second-round pick “was a beast” in the first week of the preseason. “I want to see him playing with that first squad. I want to see him going against the first-team Bills front five. He was a stud”.
Benton registered three tackles in his NFL debut, including two tackles for loss. He was also credited with a quarterback hit, and he had effective pressure on other downs as well. Hoke added that he “was knocking guys back” and doing things that don’t show up on the stat sheet—true for any good lineman. “He’s big and he’s strong. I like him in the middle of that defense”.
Bigger and stronger—and faster, and more athletic—than was Hoke, who should be on the Steelers’ All-Time 12th Man Team, if there were such a thing. Though never a full-time starter, he was consistently a great contributor to a legendary defensive front, only retiring due to a neck injury at age 35.
While his primary focus tends to be in the trenches, however, he also wants to get a good look at Joey Porter Jr., the son of one of his former teammates. The rookie second-round pick was held out of the first preseason game due to a minor ailment but is expected to play tonight.
“I think to this point, every time that he’s gotten beat by George Pickens, he’s been on him”, Hoke said. “I think going against a guy like George, who’s gonna prove to be one of the best receivers in the NFL, is just gonna make him better, and when he gets in there on Sunday, the play is not gonna be on the level of George, so he’s gonna have much better success on Sunday afternoons”.
The way things are going, Porter is likely to be the third cornerback alongside Patrick Peterson and Levi Wallace. He should get a lot of snaps during his rookie season. Benton is also trending toward a considerably large role in the defense, perhaps as the starting nose tackle and as a core rotational defender in nickel sub-packages.
We should get our best look at them tonight in the second preseason game, which the Steelers seem to be setting up as their ‘tune-up’ contest before the beginning of the regular season. Provided they are healthy—both dealt with minor injuries, in fact—they should see a lot of action if they are to earn day-one roles in this defense.
