Keeanu Benton is supposed to be a building block for the next era of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defensive line. He flashed immense potential as a rookie, but now in Year 3, the team believes he’s taken a step back.
“You mentioned Keeanu Benton. It was told to me from inside the building that they actually think he’s regressed in Season 3,” Gerry Dulac said Thursday via Post-Gazette Sports on YouTube. “Didn’t make the big jump from Year 1 to Year 2, and now it’s Year 2 to Year 3. And what we’ve seen from two games hasn’t exactly been a sterling performance from Keeanu Benton.”
Benton, a 2023 second-round pick, was the highest selection Pittsburgh had spent on the defensive line since Stephon Tuitt in 2014. For long-term franchise success, first- and second-round picks really need to pan out. From what we’ve seen through two games in 2025, Benton is not positioning himself to receive a contract extension next offseason that keeps him in Pittsburgh long term.
In 36 games played and 25 starts, Benton has just 75 total tackles, three tackles for loss, and two sacks. Box score scouting typically isn’t a great idea, but that is an unusually low amount of production.
Mike Tomlin has said that there’s “no real strong consideration” of moving Benton off nose tackle. Whether he means that or not, something eventually has to give. The Steelers have surrendered 100 or more rushing yards in six of their last eight games dating back to 2024 with two of them going for over 200 yards.
Benton can still salvage his career, but that might not come at nose tackle. At 6-4, 309 pounds, he has always been fighting an uphill battle at the position. There is a growing belief that he has been miscast and may be better suited to play 3-tech defensive tackle or even base end with his nearly 34-inch arms.
The Steelers drafted two rookie defensive linemen, including the 336-pound Yahya Black, in April. It only makes sense to shift him inside if Benton can’t get his act together over the next game or two. With the Steelers’ bye coming up in Week 5, the clock may be ticking on Benton as their starting NT.
