The Pittsburgh Steelers have not seen the anticipated second-year jump from DL Keeanu Benton, leaving many to wonder why. It has been a source of speculation, even if he is not playing poorly. While he has had issues in run defense and is not putting up sacks, he is still showing his talent. Part of his issue is fading late in games—but perhaps there’s a reason for that. Perhaps there’s a reason for all of it.
“He’s been banged up for a while. He’s obviously not saying too much, and not on the injury report, but he’s not 100 percent right now”, Mark Kaboly said on 93.7 The Fan this week. “I think we were just expecting a tremendous jump from him from [Year] 1 to [Year] 2. It just hasn’t really panned out that way quite yet. But I know he’s been banged up. So I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt right there. But he hasn’t performed as well as we thought he would”.
At this point in an NFL season, as the adage goes, everybody is banged up, even if not everybody makes it onto the injury report. Because Benton has no reported injuries and is not missing practice, the Steelers don’t have to report him. It’s plausible that he is dealing with some issue, even if we only have the word of a reporter to go on.
A second-round pick in 2023, Keeanu Benton looked like a foundational defensive lineman for the Steelers’ long-term future as a rookie. While he only managed one sack, he really flashed pretty consistently throughout the year.
The talk going into Year 2 among Benton’s coaches was about finishing. So many times last year, he won at the line of scrimmage but failed to make the play. The Steelers had been working with him to get to that point, similar to Alex Highsmith early in his career.
Minus an uptick in missed tackles and an absence of splash plays, Benton has also had his share of one-on-one losses at the line of scrimmage. That is a space that he dominated last year, so the discrepancy leaves open the possibility of injury. But is it just too convenient to believe of the young Steelers lineman?
More generally, the Steelers’ defensive line has had more lapses in recent weeks, reaching a nadir in Week 8 against the New York Giants. They need Keeanu Benton to be at his best, especially while Montravius Adams is sidelined. And they will have their hands full with some of the best rushing offenses in the league on deck.
If the Steelers have indeed addressed their issues over the bye week, the next two weeks will test them. The Washington Commanders and Baltimore Ravens are next on the agenda. While they win more with scheme than with elite linemen, Benton has tough individual matchups. Washington offers Tyler Biadasz while the Ravens boast Tyler Linderbaum, two of the best centers in the game.
