Who would trade for DeMarvin Leal, and what could the Steelers get for him?
Yesterday, Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette floated out the idea of DL DeMarvin Leal as a potential trade candidate. The notion struck me because I had a hard time conceiving of any other team actively wishing to pursue him.
A 2022 third-round pick, Leal has 381 career defensive snaps with 29 tackles, one sack, and three batted passes. He played 206 snaps last season, but spent much of the back half of the season as a healthy scratch.
It’s too early to write off his entire future, yet given his two years in Pittsburgh, I can’t say the idea of getting something for him now isn’t tempting. He’s still young, just 23, with pedigree, and he quite possibly fits better with a 4-3 team. There isn’t a defensive coordinator in the world who doesn’t think he can get more out of someone else’s player.
Perhaps the Philadelphia Eagles, who just traded one of their top pass rushers, or the Minnesota Vikings with Brian Flores, are two candidate teams who believe they can unlock his potential. But even if they feel that way, they’re not going to pay a premium price.
New Steelers general manager Omar Khan seems much more amenable to trades, though to be fair, he’s only trading players he inherited. Of course, he’s too early into his tenure as general manager to have many of his own players. But the point is, Leal isn’t one of the players that he drafted—nor did Andy Weidl have a hand in it.
I don’t think it’s as much about the Steelers’ willingness to potentially trade him as the impediment here, however. You need a partner to dance, and that partner has to be willing to pay an entrance fee. What fee makes it worth Pittsburgh’s while rather than giving him another shot?
The Steelers’ 2023 season has been put out of its misery, ending as so many have before in recent years: a disappointing, blowout playoff loss. The only change-up lately is when they miss the playoffs altogether. But with the Buffalo Bills stamping them out in the Wildcard Round, they have another long offseason ahead.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Does Russell Wilson make them a Super Bowl-caliber team, or are they wasting a year? Will he play just one season in Pittsburgh before moving on, or the Steelers moving on from him? How will the team address the depth chart?
The Steelers are swirling with more questions this offseason than usual, frankly, though the major free agent list is less substantial than usual. It’s just a matter of…what happens next? Where do they go from here? How do they find the way forward?
