For the rest of the preseason and leading up to Week 1, I’m handing out Pittsburgh Steelers training camp grades. Position-by-position, we’ll evaluate each Steeler who spent training camp with the team to reveal the good, bad, and ugly. This is based on the team’s 14 public training camp practices and preseason performances through the date of each article. This grade looks at camp/preseason performance in a vacuum. Nothing else is evaluated.
After finishing the offense last time, a look at the defensive line today.
Previous Training Camp Grades
Quarterback
Running Back
Tight End
Wide Receiver
Offensive Line
Yahya Black
Surprise of the summer, thy name is Yahya. This offseason, I questioned if Black could fit at defensive end. He profiled more like a nose tackle to plug the middle. Here I am eating crow. Black showed he’s more than capable playing closer to the edges. He has two things all good Steelers linemen possess: heart and awareness. Black hustles to the ball and shows better pursuit speed than you’d expect for a 6-5, 330-pounder whose belly doesn’t fit in his practice jersey. He gets his hands up in throwing lanes and batted down at least a half-dozen passes in camp. His length helps but his feel and timing for when the quarterback is rearing back are natural.
In the trenches, Black showed every trait. Size, length, and strength to hold the point of attack. His height helps him peer over the line and key the ball. He’s tall but doesn’t play especially high with an effective punch and hand placement. He defeats blocks in the run game and does more than take on blockers. Most surprising are his pass-rush juice and balance, looking much improved from his college tape. He stays on his feet and has a good rush plan. A bull, a push/pull, he doesn’t stay engaged for very long in any area of his game. That’s a good thing.
Despite a right elbow injury that had him wearing a bulky brace and missing a couple practices, Black played in all three preseason contests. He finished with six tackles and two sacks, the latter coming on back-to-back plays versus Carolina. He forced a fumble on the second and was an impact player in his first and third games.
He’s an old-school tackle in style, sizzle, and look. All the way down to opting against wearing gloves, only putting tape on his fingers, strapping on a helmet, and balling out.
Once the roster is trimmed, Black may get looks at nose tackle. But he has proven he’s more than just a big man in the middle. He’s going to see meaningful snaps out of the gate, especially with Derrick Harmon’s knee injury. They’ve been earned, not given.
Camp Grade: A
Derrick Harmon
Lots of eyes on Harmon this summer and for good reason. The team’s first-round pick and hopeful long-term Cam Heyward replacement, the focus the last few days has been on his health. Harmon reportedly sprained his MCL in the preseason finale, spoiling a good summer. Putting the injury and timetable to return aside, Harmon did a nice job and steadily improved.
He’s explosive off the ball. He can rip through blocks. He shows strength and flashes a bull rush capable of collapsing the pocket. Harmon got much better at using his long arms to create space in the run game and improving his strike to beat blockers as a pass rusher. An underrated part of his game is his physicality on stunts, effective as the crasher to still get pressure while allowing the looping outside linebacker to get free.
Harmon logged tons of reps, starting at left defensive end in the team’s base 3-4 and effectively starting in nickel all summer with Heyward sitting out most team drills and every preseason game. That speaks to a high level of conditioning. Harmon still needs his first move to work quicker instead of being a slow-burn rusher or one who needs to consistently counter, but the foundation is there for a bright future.
Camp Grade: B+
Breiden Fehoko
A slimmed-down Fehoko returned to Pittsburgh in August after spending the previous two years on the practice squad. Playing defensive end instead of nose tackle, he had an edge as a veteran facing less experienced backup offensive linemen. He made plays in drills and inside stadiums, recording two tackles on the final drive against Tampa Bay.
But Pittsburgh released him ahead of its preseason finale. Why Fehoko was odd man out over others isn’t clear but this stint with Pittsburgh only lasted two weeks. Fehoko looks like he can still play but he also hasn’t appeared in a regular-season game since 2022.
Camp Grade: B
Daniel Ekuale
It was semi-surprising to see Ekuale spend virtually the entire summer as second-string nose tackle after playing plenty of defensive end in New England last season. But he’s versatile and moved up and down the line last year with the Patriots. He’s a big man with a large lower half and the profile of a run-stuffing nose tackle. He has the strength, too. He’s stout at the point of attack and can two-gap to keep linebackers clean.
Ekuale is limited as a pass rusher. His strength translates into a serviceable bull rush but it’s about the only way he makes an impact in the passing game. He doesn’t have the foot speed Derrick Harmon and Yahya Black possess. Perhaps that’s one reason why he’s at nose tackle so he’s less involved in playing perimeter runs and containing on stunts.
After Harmon’s injury against Carolina, Ekuale picked up one snap at left defensive end in Pittsburgh’s 3-4. A whittled-down roster will open the door for guys like Ekuale to wear more hats. But it still looks like he’ll be the backup nose tackle and rotate in where he can. He’s a different type of d-tackle than last year’s backup Montravius Adams. Ekuale fits the old-school mode Pittsburgh’s getting back to after not being strong enough at the point of attack last season.
Camp Grade: B-
Esezi Otomewo
A deep sleeper entering camp, Otomewo spent a chunk of the summer just getting back to health. Injuring his knee during Seven Shots in the first padded practice, he missed a week before returning. He’s a plus athlete with foot speed to chase the ball and he plays with good effort. Otomewo brings consistent energy but not a ton of size, on the smaller side for the position.
Armed with some NFL experience, Otomewo is practice squad material should injuries occur throughout the season. There are enough flashes to leave you interested in seeing more.
Camp Grade: B-
Keeanu Benton
A good-not-great camp for Benton. He’s always missed a second pass-rush move to pair with his excellent club/over rush. I didn’t see him show anything else consistently this summer. He’ll toy with a spin, use a bull, but he’s not going to be complete in his arsenal. Offensive linemen will game plan to take away his primary move.
Still, Benton is a plus athlete with loose hips and can win against unsuspecting opponents. He was healthy and available for most of camp, only missing one day of practice. Like the other linemen, he got hands up in throwing lanes to bat passes down. Nothing looked objectively bad, but Benton’s camp also left me wanting more. He’s entering a critical year where his pass-rush pressure must translate into more production. Two sacks in two years aren’t good enough.
Camp Grade: C+
Isaiahh Loudermilk
Loudermilk is who he is. A low-ceiling player whose game is maxed out, he can play the run at an acceptable level and has an NFL resume. There’s no projection with him. Of course, that means there isn’t any room for him to grow and he’s a limited pass rusher who will only play in base packages. That doesn’t leave for him a lot of snaps or a big role, especially as Derrick Harmon and Yahya Black emerge.
But there’s enough here to roster Loudermilk at the end of the Steelers’ 53, especially with Harmon on the mend.
Camp Grade: C+
Logan Lee
In his second NFL season and after a rookie year on Injured Reserve, Lee’s made strides. His hand usage to beat blocks looks better than a year ago. More active, more refined. Early on, he bounced between nose tackle and defensive end, playing the former in the few days between Domenique Davis’ release and subsequent return.
Lee isn’t stout enough against gap schemes and struggles to consistently anchor. He’s still undersized with only average strength. Lee is better versus zone schemes when he can flow down the line. He’s best known for his emergency long snapping against Tampa Bay, filling in admirably for an injured Christian Kuntz. Relying on his high school days and the training camp reps he’d take by himself before most practices, it was a lesson in versatility creating value.
Even so, Lee isn’t a standout player in any regard. And having snapping in his resume won’t earn him a job. Injuries to Derrick Harmon and other options falling by the wayside along the way make Lee a true bubble player with final cuts looming.
Camp Grade: C+
Kyler Baugh
Baugh was signed early in camp as defensive line depth. A round body and rotational defensive end/tackle who struggled to see consistent reps once the group got healthier and other players, like Breiden Fehoko, were brought back, Baugh plays with burst and an edge. Liked his power and jolt in the one-on-ones, even if his size and other traits weren’t impressive.
Baugh cleaned up and picked up a sack in the preseason finale, a moment he was legitimately pumped for. As he should be. It’s a big achievement. But he won’t make the 53 and practice squad looks unlikely, too.
Camp Grade: C+
Domenique Davis
The first camp cut when S Chuck Clark was brought aboard, he circled back when injuries began piling up along the defensive line. A stocky build, there’s a decent burst and get-off from him. He’s shorter and can dip and rip through guards, showcasing that during one-on-one drills of training camp. He might stick as a third-team nose tackle, the place he ran during the summer, on the practice squad. But he’s not someone who is close to seeing regular-season snaps.
Camp Grade: C
Cam Heyward
Little to note here. There’s usually not much to say about his recent camps, a veteran who doesn’t need evaluation and whose main goal is making it to Week 1 healthy. Heyward’s camp was even less active than usual, the seven-time Pro Bowler sitting out team periods once pads came on while seeking a revised contract. In that respect, it could be viewed as a “hold-in.”
However, Heyward suited up and practiced in full during the acclimation period, the first four days of camp. Even after that, he occasionally dressed and went through individual work and would spend the rest of practice working on his conditioning. Actions those truly “holding in” don’t do. He returned to team periods after camp, perhaps in a show of good faith to the front office.
Heyward sat out all three preseason games. That would’ve happened regardless of his contract situation. Even with his veiled threats, Heyward will be out there Week 1. That’s all that mattered this summer.
Camp Grade: Incomplete
Dean Lowry
Lowry suffered Pittsburgh’s most severe injury this summer when he tore the ACL in his right knee during the first day in pads. The Steelers placed him on IR in August, which means he’s out for the season. He was seeing more snaps and getting second-team reps I didn’t expect him to receive out of the gate, though his contract and veteran status helped with the initial nod.
Had Lowry stayed healthy, he might’ve made the roster as a sixth/seventh defensive lineman. Instead, the rest of 2025 will be about rehabbing and trying to continue his NFL career next season. This might be it.
Camp Grade: Incomplete
Jacob Slade
Returning after spending 2024 on the team’s practice squad, Slade fought for reps at the end of the depth chart early in camp. He primarily saw time at defensive end. Like Lowry, Slade unfortunately suffered a knee injury during the team’s first padded practice. He was placed on injured reserve, where he remains today. Seemingly, it was serious enough to not warrant the injury settlement given to players dealing with short-term ailments. The harsh reality of camp.
Camp Grade: Incomplete
