If the Pittsburgh Steelers and GM Omar Khan set out to improve their d-line in free agency, few would agree that they succeeded in that task. Their biggest move involved releasing a starter, Larry Ogunjobi, after three underachieving seasons. Beyond that, priced out of the top of the market, they seemed to be shuffling deck chairs.
In addition to re-signing Isaiahh Loudermilk, the biggest move Khan pulled off was adding Daniel Ekuale. On a one-year, $2.8 million deal, the signing didn’t really move the needle much. So with plenty of cap space to spend, why did they tap out?
“I like the group we have”, Khan said of the Steelers’ d-line room, via Joe Rutter of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. That group is headed by Cameron Heyward, of course, with Keeanu Benton an emerging player. Beyond those, there isn’t a lot to get excited about.
Behind Heyward and Benton, the Steelers bring back DeMarvin Leal and Loudermilk, as well as veteran addition Dean Lowry, one of Omar Khan’s 2024 signings, and Montravius Adams. This offseason, they signed Ekuale and Esezi Otomweo, the latter to a Veteran Salary Benefit deal.
“When you go into free agency, you set out a plan and hopefully things work out and you adjust”, Khan said of the Steelers’ approach with the d-line position this year. “I don’t think anybody will tell you that they feel like they can address everything in one free agency round”.
To some Steelers fans, Khan’s comments will read as defeatist or excuse-making. Certainly, if they really wanted to, they had the resources to bring in a more notable defensive lineman. But perhaps they weighed the rising cost of the veteran market against the robust rookie class coming in and decided to take their chances in the draft.
One player Khan mentioned is Logan Lee, a Steelers sixth-round pick from a year ago. He spent his rookie season on IR but is healthy now. “He has a chance to step up and be a part of it. I felt good about some of the guys on the line”, he said. Of course, if they’re banking on a sixth-round pick with no experience for help, they have problems.
D-line is the odds-on favorite position for the Steelers to address in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, which would mark a three-for-three for Omar Khan in using his top pick on a lineman. In the past two years, he drafted offensive tackles, so a defensive tackle would be fitting.
Even if Khan is happy with what the Steelers have right now, there is the future to think of. Never mind the lack of an adequate replacement for Ogunjobi—when do you plan for life after Heyward? It’s not something you can just choose not to think about because it’s an uncomfortable reality. If it doesn’t work that way for the quarterback position, it doesn’t for the defensive line room, either.
