Depth was on Omar Khan’s mind this offseason. Offensively, he filled it with guard Nate Herbig and by drafting offensive tackle Broderick Jones where, if he starts, Dan Moore Jr. will become the team’s trusty swing tackle. Khan attacked it defensively, too. Up front, he added a slew of new faces in Armon Watts, Breiden Fehoko, and Keeanu Benton.
Speaking on Tim Benz’s Breakfast with Benz podcast Friday morning, Fehoko praised the quality depth the team has throughout the d-line and outside linebacker room. And he couldn’t help but pay a compliment to Benton, making an immediate impression in the league.
“You draft a guy like Keeanu Benton who is a freak of nature,” Fehoko told Benz’s show. “He’s a young rookie. He’s still a pup but he’s a big-ass pup.”
Those comments were made before Benton’s NFL debut Friday night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers where he showed a wide audience the unusual athlete he is for his frame. He shined in his first NFL game, finishing with three tackles (one for a l0ss) with his impact going behind the box score. Seeing most of his time at nose tackle, Benton fired off the ball and was difficult for centers to reach and cutoff. His best play of the night came defending this zone run, forcing the runner to cutback and still being able to change directions and make the tackle, a one-man-band for the stop.
But it was far from his only positive rep. As a pass rusher, he clubbed and swam over the Bucs center and cornered into the A-gap before the left guard came down and knocked him off balance. Still, Benton got the quarterback and applied a bit of pressure at Baker Mayfield’s feet.
They’re traits he displayed at Wisconsin that got him drafted. Though not primarily used as a pass rusher in the middle of the Badgers’ defense, Benton is a quietly athlete with surprising bend and flexibility. He’s high-energy with active and strong hands. Pittsburgh was impressed by Benton’s 1v1 pass rush wins at the Senior Bowl and he had the frame and scheme fit to make him a logical Steelers’ target, the team ultimately taking him in the second round.
It’s doubtful he’ll be the elite-impact pass rusher Cam Heyward is, who now routinely hits double-digits, but he’s capable of being a 3-5 sack type of player throughout his career.
The only downside to Benton’s debut was an ankle injury. But in reviewing the tape, it seems relatively minor and shouldn’t rob him off too much time.
Beyond him, Pittsburgh has solid defensive line depth that will make for some tough roster cuts. Currently, there’s eight players fighting for at most seven spots along the d-line with Watts, Adams, Fehoko, and Isaiahh Loudermilk trying to capture their place on the 53.
“[The coaching staff] can trust if Cam needs a spell, if Larry O needs a spell. If T.J. needs a spell, you’ve got Nick Herbig out here running spin cycles on the tackles,” Fehoko said. “It’s good to see that there’s quality depth behind the starters and future first-ballot Hall of Famers we have now.”
Benton’s role to begin the year remains unclear. Montravius Adams has run as the team’s starting nose tackle all camp and started the preseason opener. Adams has enjoyed a solid camp, entering the summer on the roster bubble. But with performances like these, Benton will work his way into the starting lineup and see considerable playing time his rookie year.
