The Steelers made a few additions to the interior of their defensive line this offseason. The ones who stole the headlines were their draft picks, Derrick Harmon and Yahya Black. Now there’s been a couple of injuries to the unit, and fans have gotten a glimpse at one of their free agent signings this offseason, Daniel Ekuale.
Ekuale has played 32 defensive snaps, and Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo believes he’ll see many more against the Patriots on Sunday.
“Again, I go back to Ekuale,” Fittipaldo said after Thursday’s practice, via Post-Gazette Steelers on YouTube. “He started 15 games for the Pats [Patriots] last season. Sometimes just that stability, that veteran presence in there is helpful. We’ll see if he plays more for Benton this week, or if he plays more on the outside. I got a sneaking suspicion you’re gonna see him a little bit more at nose, just because Benton had trouble so much.”
Pittsburgh is looking for answers defensively, including up the middle. Benton has been an issue in particular. This is his third year in the league, and he’s still not playing as physically as he should. His technique at the position isn’t great, and Fittipaldo is wondering if he’d be better as a three-technique.
The rest of the interior hasn’t done much, either. Cam Heyward improved marginally after a rough Week 1 outing, but he wasn’t great. Yahya Black is getting some time, but hasn’t made much of an impact. Regarding Daniel Ekuale, though, more playing time could be beneficial.
He’s a depth player on the Steelers roster, but it’s not like he’s any stranger to the NFL. Last year with New England, he started 16 games and put a solid season together. He won’t make his money rushing the passer, but plugging gaps and stopping the run. Ekuale made 53 tackles last season and only missed three attempts. He’s gotten a few snaps in each game this year and has made two tackles.
One thing Daniel Ekuale can do is plug a gap. That’s something the Steelers could use out of their nose tackle, as Benton hasn’t been able to do so for two weeks now. With all the injuries to the unit, this would be a great time for Ekuale to prove himself to his new team and get revenge on his old team at the same time.
