The Pittsburgh Steelers’ defensive line got back to a high level of football in 2022 after a dip in effectiveness the previous season. Just before that, they were widely regarded as having one of the best defensive lines in the NFL.
They should have that again in 2023, and hopefully beyond. And they will if the preseason opener is any indication. CB Patrick Peterson didn’t even play in the game, but he came away impressed by what his defensive line was doing.
“The boys up front ate. They made life a lot easier for guys on the back end”, he said on the All Things Covered podcast with Bryant McFadden, recapping last Friday’s preseason-opening victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“The guys up front, they literally just made our lives that much easier”, he said. “And now that we’re finding rotational guys, that’s going to be able to take a load off of some guys in the early part of the season and find their way in this thing, it’s a beautiful thing. I was very, very impressed with the big guys up front”.
It’s worth noting that Cameron Heyward and Larry Ogunjobi did not play in the game, with Isaiahh Loudermilk, Armon Watts, and Montravius Adams starting. DeMarvin Leal and rookie Keeanu Benton also played significant roles, as well as Breiden Fehoko.
At the same time, for as well as they played, it is equally worth mentioning that the Buccaneers were not playing their starters, either. Tampa overall played more lower-string players than did the Steelers at any given point in the game.
Nevertheless, you can only compete with the players that are put across from you, and several players, particularly Benton, Watts, and Loudermilk, stepped up to the plate as they compete for depth roles this season. Benton could be the starting nose tackle. There’s still work to do, though.
“There’s a bunch of things that we want to clean up coming out of that game”, Peterson said. “A bunch of young guys were out there for the first time so the lights could be a little bright and not really executing the way we should and want to”.
While the Steelers parted company with Tyson Alualu and Chris Wormley this offseason, they added Fehoko and Watts as veteran free agents in addition to drafting Benton in the middle of the second round. Leal and Loudermilk are both young players who are still growing into their roles, and into their bodies for that matter.
On paper, Pittsburgh should have the deepest defensive line it has had in years in terms of top-to-bottom quality. Heyward is still playing at a Pro Bowl level. Ogunjobi has that kind of ability. Benton is very promising already and should play right away. And guys like Loudermilk, Watts, and Fehoko could all have their roles to play.
It ought to be a good year to be a Steelers defensive back, especially as long as T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith stay healthy. Even if they don’t, the Steelers should be better prepared with Markus Golden and Nick Herbig behind them, and with greater versatility from some on the line, like Leal, to be able to play off the edge.
