DeMarvin Leal understands better than anybody just how important this upcoming season is for him. The third-year defensive lineman likely has no guaranteed roster spot reserved on this Pittsburgh Steelers team. A former third-round draft pick, he understands he has not lived up to his potential. But dismiss him at your own risk, seems to be his mindset going into 2024.
“Keep counting me out”, he recently posted on social media. And to be clear, Leal is not an active social media user. The last time he shared anything other than a retweet was in April to congratulate a former high school teammate for signing as a college free agent. You have to go back to October to find his last non-retweet Tweet before that.
many are counting Leal out, and not without some justification. After all, he spent much of the second half of last season on the bench. Not because he was dealing with an injury, but because the coaches opted to play others. Isaiahh Loudermilk and Armon Watts earned time ahead of him once Cameron Heyward returned from his injury.
This year, the Steelers already have Heyward, Larry Ogunjobi, Keeanu Benton, Dean Lowry, and Montravius Adams as their likely locks. They may only keep one more, with Loudermilk, Logan Lee, and Breiden Fehoko in contention with Leal.
But the frustration is DeMarvin Leal is the one who has that potential. That is why the Steelers drafted him in the first round, but perhaps he needed time to mature. He has been criticized for not reporting in shape during his first two seasons, but this year is different.
Perhaps he feels the pressure of his situation. Certainly, he hears some of the criticism. And quite simply, he is older, maturing. Leal only turns 24 years old in July. He wouldn’t be the first player who takes a couple of years to learn how to be a professional. I recall Marcus Gilbert had that same problem, and then he turned into an excellent right tackle.
As a rookie, Leal played in 11 games, missing some time due to injury. He logged 175 snaps, registering 14 tackles, one tackle for loss, and three batted passes. Much of that playing time was result of T.J. Watt’s injury, and he even spent time playing on the edge.
Last year, Leal only played in 12 games despite being healthy, logging 206 snaps. He contributed 15 tackles with two for loss, one sack, and one batted pass. He only played 26 snaps after Week 10, once Heyward returned from injury. And that includes the postseason loss, for which he did not dress.
Perhaps part of the problem is that the Steelers have failed to give Leal a consistent role. While he embraced the opportunity to do a little bit of everything, perhaps he needs more focus to put everything into his work. In the meantime, we will keep counting while we wait to see if Leal can get up off the mat.
