Now that the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2023 season is getting underway after the team finished above .500 but failing to make the postseason last year, we turn our attention to the next chapter of Steelers football and everything that entails. One thing that it means is that some stock evaluations are going to start taking on more specific contexts as we get into the season, reflecting more immediate plusses and minus rather than trends over long periods. The nature of the evaluation, whether short-term or long-term, will be noted in the reasoning section below.
Player: DL DeMarvin Leal
Stock Value: Down
Reasoning: The second-year defensive lineman has not seen the field much since Cameron Heyward returned from the Reserve/Injured List. In the past four games, he has played just 17 snaps, and he hasn’t played very well in his very limited opportunities, either.
Any time you draft a player during the first two days of the draft, you do so with some level of expectation for them to develop into a contributor. One can argue that 2022 third-round DL DeMarvin Leal has done that, but would it be a good argument?
Touting his versatility throughout the offseason and a desire to retain the flexibility to play all over the field, it doesn’t seem as though the coaching staff can or is interested in finding a place for him within the defense.
While he played 24 snaps in Cameron Heyward’s first game back from injury—that was the game in which Montravius Adams was injured on the second play, and Heyward was still somewhat on a pitch count —he has been persona non grata since. He has logged just 17 snaps in the past four games, never more than five in any one contest.
Truth be told, he has not shown much development this season even when he has played. And he got plenty of playing time while Heyward was out for several weeks, having perhaps one good game all season. Even his first career sack back in Week Two was only granted because the officials missed a facemask penalty on the play. It shouldn’t have counted.
Most disappointing is the fact that Leal has offered little to nothing as a pass rusher. And his playing time plummeting isn’t just because of Heyward—Adams has remained out all the while. Instead, it’s been Isaiahh Loudermilk and Armon Watts getting the opportunity to play instead of him.
And they’ve been better than he had been frankly. Loudermilk played 19 snaps on Sunday and Watts played 22, compared to Leal’s five. The former has begun to raise his level of play in recent weeks, which is encouraging. Watts has been quietly beneficial all season when given the opportunity.
