Steelers HC Mike Tomlin said Keeanu Benton was capable of being dominant at the end of his rookie season. Entering Year 2, he said that he expected big things from his big man in the middle of the defense. While he didn’t have a bad season, Benton hardly delivered the difference-making plays that live up to the rhetoric.
Given the state of the Steelers’ defensive line, it has led many to wonder about Benton. Now entering his third season, what does he need to take the next level? Or is he even equipped to take that step within the Steelers’ defense?
“I thought [Keeanu] Benton, I was a little bit disappointed in his pass rush,” Ray Fittipaldo said on 93.7 The Fan. “And obviously the rush defense was a big issue for whoever was in there late in the season. The last five games was not good, the way they got run on.
“The issue with Keeanu [Benton] is he’s an undersized nose,” Fittipaldo added. “The way the Steelers want to play, they always want to have that value beyond your position on the defensive line. You’ve got to play sub-package football as well. I just don’t know how Keeanu Benton fits. He’s kind of a tweener, and they’ve had a couple of those guys recently.”
Fittipaldo referenced DeMarvin Leal, who is a much clearer example of a “tweener” than is Benton. The Steelers literally even had Leal playing stand-up linebacker on occasion. While they have Benton playing nose tackle, of course, they largely play in a nickel front.
But at 6-4, 309 pounds, does Keeanu Benton really have the frame for what the Steelers want out of him? Certain analysts, like Fittipaldo, have suggested that the team should move him to end and find a new nose tackle. Though if his pass rush was disappointing inside, I don’t think he will be much more effective as a five-technique. Perhaps injuries can explain away a lot of the issues he had, but he still needs to produce.
Benton recorded exactly as many tackles (36) last season as he did during his rookie season. He also had one sack in each season, with eight quarterback hits. While he forced two fumbles as a rookie and none last season, he did intercept a pass and batted six passes compared to the two from his rookie season.
Is Keeanu Benton stout enough to hold up at nose tackle, or athletic enough to thrive on the end? He may be best suited in that nickel defensive tackle role, which is what he most often plays. But he needs to start producing more.
Benton played about a third more snaps than he did during his rookie season, but was hardly more productive. And we certainly can’t say that the defense as a whole was better, especially at the end of the season. Whatever the means of managing it, Benton is one of the players the Steelers absolutely must see step up in 2025. If they don’t, the defense is in trouble.
