The long-awaited free agent addition to the Pittsburgh Steelers defensive line came last night with Daniel Ekuale joining the team per an announcement from his agent. He’s been in the league since 2018, but just had his first full season as a starter with the New England Patriots last season. It’s not exactly the splash that many were expecting, but the DL market moved fast and became exceedingly expensive.
By the time the legal tampering period dust had settled, almost all of the top names were already off the market and Larry Ogunjobi, who the Steelers had just cut, was among the top names remaining. The next few days saw Ogunjobi, along with the next tier of veteran options sign elsewhere. Who are some of the available options remaining?
The list isn’t pretty, but there are a few in particular that I’d like to see. Calais Campbell was productive last season, but he’s probably looking for the perfect situation if he decides to give it one more go. And the fact that he hasn’t signed yet could indicate that he is fixing to retire after he hinted that as a possibility last season.
Armon Watts would be a great option if he hadn’t suffered a shoulder injury and then a season-ending knee injury at the end of last season. Maybe he could be signed closer to the start of the season if his recovery is going well, but that late-December injury could easily cut into or take away his entire 2025 season.
Charles Omenihu potentially makes sense, but he is a similar height-weight tweener that the Steelers have with DeMarvin Leal, albeit a much better version. If they sign another, it would preferably be one with A-gap experience. Ekuale spent most of his time in the B-gap or over tackle.
Omar Khan said during one of his 2025 NFL Scouting Combine media appearances that Keeanu Benton can be used anywhere along the line. As of right now, they don’t have a great option in the middle other than Montravius Adams. If they do happen to bring in another veteran, it would likely someone to anchor the middle.
John Jenkins has started 17 games in each of the last two seasons, but he’s entering his 13th NFL season and is 35 years old. Benito Jones could be another option with plenty of starting experience over the last couple seasons. Both players are right around 330 pounds and could add some size to the defensive front.
It wouldn’t be a bad idea to get a space eater in the mix to allow Benton to play end in base packages while the Steelers can slide him back inside in sub-packages to rush the passer.
Either way, I wouldn’t expect Ekuale to influence the Steelers’ draft plans. I still fully believe they will address defensive line in the first round of the upcoming draft.
