With Alex Highsmith out for at least Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts with a groin injury suffered in Week 3, DeMarvin Leal, who has played both defensive line and outside linebacker for the Steelers, will likely take on a bigger role as the team’s OLB3. In his weekly press conference, Tomlin praised the work Leal’s put in through practice and said he’s excited to see Leal get more opportunities this week.
“Leal throughout team development has been playing outside linebacker and defensive line. He did some last year so it’s not anything new for him,” Tomlin said Tuesday via the team’s YouTube channel. “So really, I don’t view that as a significant issue in terms of him elevating and getting more opportunity. This guy has had a good team development process and I’m excited to see what he’s going to do with increased opportunities, just as much as I am what [Nick] Herbig did with his.”
Leal’s rookie year in 2022 was the season where he played outside most, logging 104 snaps there as the Steelers cobbled together outside linebacker depth following an injury to T.J. Watt. Last year, he played just 33 snaps outside, while he’s played 15 already this season. He’s lined up on the interior just once this season, so he’s more so transitioned to the outside although he hasn’t played a ton with the Steelers having three talented outside linebackers in Watt, Highsmith and Nick Herbig.
But with Highsmith down and Herbig stepping into his starting spot, Leal essentially moves from OLB4 to OLB3 on the depth chart, which is going to give him increased opportunities to play. Leal was up and down throughout his first two NFL seasons and eventually was a healthy scratch by the end of last season. But he had an impressive training camp and preseason, and Tomlin said as much, so it’ll be interesting to see if he can develop into a reliable contributor in the absence of Highsmith.
Even with Herbig emerging and picking up two sacks Sunday, Highsmith will be a big loss. The Steelers can mitigate that if Leal can step up and bolster their depth so there’s not too much of a drop-off in play when Watt or Herbig has to come off the field. It’s something Leal has done in the past, but he’s also had to focus on playing defensive line, and now that he’s singularly focused on one position, the results could come. If they do, it’s going to be hugely important for the Steelers as they look to win without one of their best defensive players.
