The Pittsburgh Steelers’ defensive line for the 2024 season is in fine shape, but there are legitimate questions about the future of the unit. Many thought that a defensive lineman could have been targeted over the first three or four rounds in the draft this year to help continue the youth movement that began a year ago with the selection of Keeanu Benton in the second round.
The only problem was, the DL class was pretty light this year. Guys like Maason Smith, who many expected to be more of a late third or early fourth-round pick, ended up going in the second round. Any team that needed a defensive lineman was forced to reach for one, or risk missing out on the position altogether.
Logan Lee was drafted by the Steelers with their penultimate pick in the sixth round, but I wouldn’t consider him a lock to make the roster. Sixth-round picks can’t typically be relied on to develop into NFL starters.
That leaves Cameron Heyward (35), Larry Ogunjobi (30), Dean Lowry (30), Montravius Adams (28), and Benton (22) as the core players for the defensive line this season. It is pretty easily the oldest unit on the team.
“They’re just not coming out at that position like they used to,” Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo said via 93.7 The Fan yesterday. “So when the Steelers do rebuild this line, they might have to do it through free agency or maybe this coming draft will be better than this past draft. But yeah, for the 2024 season at least, they’re gonna have to get by with their aging unit there.”
The Steelers have taken a defensive lineman in every draft other than 2017 since Cam Heyward was selected in the first round back in 2011. There have been a few hits, like Stephon Tuitt and Javon Hargrave, but Tuitt retired early and the Steelers elected to let Hargrave get away in free agency.
The model for the last decade has been to draft defensive linemen towards the end of the draft and attempt to develop them, but none of those development projects have really worked out. Lee is the latest example of that, and he will be competing with the likes of Isaiahh Loudermilk and DeMarvin Leal for the last spot or two on the 53-man roster.
Rebuilding through free agency over the next couple offseasons might be a necessity, but that is an expensive proposition. Ogunjobi didn’t come cheap with a three-year $28,750,000 extension last offseason, and he has barely been able to make an impact over his first two seasons with the team. Good defensive linemen are very expensive, but the Steelers may have backed themselves into a corner.
There is one young player who has been disappointing so far that may be able to turn things around.
“I will say one thing about Leal. [Teryl] Austin said this a few weeks ago. He is in better shape than he ever has been,” Fittipaldo said. “…If he can get it together, that would be huge for this defensive line. It’s his third year. It’s kind of put up or shut up time.”
There have been multiple reports at this point of a much better offseason for Leal. Last year, he reportedly showed up to camp out of shape and that resulted in a disappointing season that saw him end the last few games as a healthy scratch on game day.
If he can at least become an average player, that could buy the Steelers some time to make a more calculated decision to rebuild the defensive line over the next offseason or two.
