Rookies never forget their first NFL start. For Keeanu Benton, it came when – and where – he least expected it. Sharing the story of his first official start for the Steelers in 2023, Benton says it came by surprise in more ways than one.
“They say the names before you go out,” Benton told The Money Down Podcast featuring former Wisconsin Badgers Warren Herring, James White, and Sojourn Shelton. “They like, Benton! ‘Wait, what?’ My nerves running. I run out. I’m shaking. When I get nervous, I throw up sometimes. Before games, I throw up. I just gotta get it out. Coach [Karl] Dunbar look at me like, you ready? I’m like, ‘Yeah.'”
For home games, the Steelers announce one side of the ball to run out of the tunnel, alternating between the offense and defense. Often, the unit selected sets the tone and expectation for the day. The defense gets picked in games poised to be low-scoring slugfests. The offense chosen when those players will be relied on to put points on the board to win.
Benton’s first start came in Week 5 against the Baltimore Ravens. A game with enough pressure as it was, his first facing the Steelers’ biggest rival. Drafted in the second round and playing nose tackle to that point, he assumed that’s where he would line up. Pittsburgh had other plans.
“Whole time, I think I’m starting at nose. That punk put me at 4i,” Benton joked, referring to Dunbar. “I ain’t took a rep at 4i. Threw me out there. I hadn’t played 4i in a minute. There’s so much space out there.”
Per our charting, Pittsburgh came out in its 3-4 “okie” defense for the first snap against the Ravens. Instead of playing nose tackle, Benton kicked out to right defensive end with Larry Ogunjobi opposite and Montravius Adams the man in the middle. The Steelers reshuffled their lineup to compensate for losing ace DL Cam Heyward to a torn groin in the season opener. Benton played the game at defensive end, recording three tackles and a QB hit in a 17-10 win.
Nose tackle is where Benton has started since, and the team has remained adamant it’s his best position. Pittsburgh will count on him taking a sizable step in his third year. Benton no longer has to think about where he might start. His focus is just on being the best version of himself.
