The Pittsburgh Steelers are leaning more into DeMarvin Leal as an outside linebacker, it seems. Always a bit of a “tweener” body type, they dabbled in it with him as a rookie. Now in Year 3, he is lighter and has a better understanding of what he is doing. Oh, he is also in a roster battle and grabbing hold of the credo of “the more you can do”.
With an unsettled fourth outside linebacker spot, Leal is hoping to make the Steelers’ decision easy. If they carry him, they not only bolster their defensive line but also their edge depth. With Markus Golden coming and going in a flash, there isn’t a clear favorite for a fourth outside linebacker. So Leal is left to soak up knowledge from the rest of the room.
“It’s a blessing to have them helping me”, Leal said of T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, the Steelers’ two star outside linebackers, via Teresa Varley writing for the team’s website. “It’s always been a blessing just to be here. But to have vets actually trust and believe you and want to help you be successful as well like they are, it means a lot.
“They give me all the gems, all the crumbs that I need to just to be successful. I’m going to keep picking those crumbs up and just keep moving”.
A 2022 third-round pick out of Texas A&M, DeMarvin Leal is trying to end a backslide. He spent most of the second half of last season as a healthy scratch, perhaps the wake-up call he needed. Now taking his profession more seriously, he is in a different place. “I am definitely feeling more comfortable for sure”, he said. “I don’t feel as sluggish anymore.”.
That’s what the Steelers want to hear because they don’t want to whiff on another defensive lineman. While Keeanu Benton is looking very promising, they haven’t hit on too many without a premium pick. Javon Hargrave is the last lineman they’ve drafted later than the second round to pan out. Leal wants to be the next—but first he needs to make the team.
This time, however, he can make it as a multi-position player, potentially, including special teams. With the new kickoff rule putting coverage players much closer to the action, linemen like DeMarvin Leal have a better chance of participating.
While the defensive line room is more crowded, the outside linebacker room is less so. Sure, they have “guys”, but outside of their top three, nobody necessitates a roster spot. Kyron Johnson played special teams here last year, but he is not exactly a lock. There is also Jeremiah Moon, Jacoby Windmon, and Julius Welschof. The latter is likely earmarked for the practice squad as the International Pathway designee.
Despite the work in practice, we haven’t seen DeMarvin Leal really playing on the edge in the preseason. If the Steelers are serious about it, one would hope that they give him some work there in the finale. It’s one thing to show something in practice and another to do it in a game.
