Mike Tomlin often talks about the jump that is expected from first to second-year players. There are several great candidates to show that jump for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024, but DT Keeanu Benton is near the top of the list.
He didn’t have the flashiest box score last season. In the regular season, he had 36 total tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss, 8 quarterback hits, 2 batted passes and 2 forced fumbles. But he only played 49 percent of the total snaps on defense, which should sharply increase in year two.
But there is no doubt that he showed flashes of immense potential. Pro Football Focus credited him for 22 total pressures, and there were at least six or seven sacks that he was very close to making that he left out on the field.
Benton talked about the improvements to his game after one of the practices this past week in the locker room.
“Knowing the defense helps a lot,” Benton said via a video posted by Post-Gazette Sports on YouTube. “Like last year, it just kind of knocks out that thinking about what to do part, and just going out there and doing it.”
Benton only played 28 total snaps in the preseason this year, but he still managed to match his 2023 sack total with 1 sack (two half sacks) and 4 total pressures.
He credits his active hands and counter moves for his increased production.
“That’s something I worked on this offseason,” Benton said of his counter moves and use of hands. “Just being more active, not having just one move off the ball and then stopping, staring for the quarterback, but just throwing moves out there and trying to get there.”
Steelers Depot’s own Alex Kozora put together a cutup reel of all the moves that he could find in Benton’s game last season. He already has shown seven different moves.
That is quite the arsenal for a young player like Benton. He has shown he can use them, but great players learn how to string them together and counter based on what the offensive linemen are showing.
From the sound of it, Benton is feeling more comfortable in the defense, which allows him to focus on his play rather than making sure he is in the right position. That, along with his offseason work on pass-rush moves, should make for a much-improved Benton in 2024. Cameron Heyward recently said that Benton has not reached his ceiling.
Offensive linemen beware!
