The Pittsburgh Steelers have a couple of young defensive linemen on their roster in Isaiahh Loudermilk and DeMarvin Leal. Neither player has been able to establish a consistent role for themselves. Once DT Cameron Heyward was able to return from his groin injury in Week Nine, Leal went from playing 20-25 snaps per game, all the way down to less than ten. Both Leal and Loudermilk have each been a healthy scratch in one game this season—Leal in Week 14 against the New England Patriots and Loudermilk in Week 15 against the Indianapolis Colts.
Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin spoke to the media for his weekly coordinator media availability on Wednesday. He was asked if the team has been switching between Leal and Loudermilk based on their performance in practice, or if it is more of a matchup thing game-to-game.
“A little bit of both,” Austin said in transcripts of the press conference provided by the team. “Sometimes it’s a matchup thing in terms of what we’re running and what we expect out of that position. And a lot of it is sometimes how we’re practicing and doing in practice. Again, there are two guys. We don’t have enough hats, so those guys are working their tail off to make sure they get a hat on [Saturday].”
Loudermilk was drafted in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Steelers. He was forced into action during his rookie season due to Stephon Tuitt and Tyson Alualu’s injuries and ended up playing 309 total defensive snaps. He did not fare well overall, with just 23 combined tackles, one sack, and six total pressures. The experience gained during his rookie season was valuable and set him up to push for a job in his second season. He ended up playing just 116 snaps in his second season and dealt with a rib injury in the offseason, which hampered his ability to participate in training camp and the first few weeks of the season.
Fast forward to this past offseason, and there was significant doubt whether he would make the initial 53-man roster or not. He has played 162 total defensive snaps and has logged 14 combined tackles and three total pressures on the quarterback.
As for Leal, he was drafted in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He entered the league with an odd body type as he is slightly too small to play defensive end and slightly too big to play outside linebacker. Some wondered when he was drafted if he would be converted. He was forced to play a lot of OLB his rookie season as T.J. Watt went down with a pectoral injury in Week One.
He ended up playing 175 total defensive snaps but struggled to generate any pressure that the Steelers rely on from their edge rushers. He finished the season with 14 combined tackles, one tackle for loss, and zero sacks. He also struggled that season with defending against the run with a very low 36.0 run defense grade from Pro Football Focus in 2022. As with Loudermilk, the hope was that the experience in his rookie season would be a springboard for future success. This season, Leal has played 206 total snaps, with just 26 since Week 10. He has one sack, 15 combined tackles, and two tackles for a loss.
Neither player has been able to find that success this season with guys like Armon Watts and Montravius Adams playing more than them when healthy. Going into the offseason, the Steelers are likely to add some pieces to the defensive line. Both players have very limited opportunities left to make a case for themselves moving into the future. Loudermilk has one year remaining on his contract, while Leal will have two. Whether or not they each make it through their rookie contracts is very much up in the air at this point.
