Daniel Ekuale was a bit of an unheralded free agent signing this offseason, but through three weeks — and particularly the last two games — the veteran defensive tackle has been a solid contributor. While Mike Tomlin said Ekuale has gotten more opportunities recently during his Tuesday press conference, he said it’s largely due to the number of snaps that the Steelers defense has had to play.
“We weren’t getting off on third downs, we end up playing a lot of snaps, and so you can view it as an uptick in someone’s participation,” Tomlin said via the team’s YouTube channel. “If we’re getting off on third down, there may be less snaps, and you may be asking me why we’re not playing him. He’s been in uniform every game, oftentimes his level of participation has been dictated at times by the snap totality.”
Keeanu Benton continues to struggle at nose tackle, and Ekuale has had a few snaps there sprinkled in. He’s played six snaps lined up as the nose this season, but he’s primarily played a defensive tackle for the Steelers lined up next to the nose. Cam Heyward and Derrick Harmon are expected to be the starters there going forward, and it could be tough for Ekuale to continually get into that mix, although Tomlin did say that Harmon’s football conditioning needs to improve going forward.
If the Steelers’ defense can get off the field and avoid the defensive line getting tired, though, it sounds like Ekuale could remain a backup. He played 17 snaps in Week 3 after playing 20 in Week 2, an uptick from his 12 in Week 1, and he was one of the highest-graded Steelers in Week 3 with a 79.7 grade, per Pro Football Focus. He finished with three total tackles and three quarterback hurries, and he’s looked like one of Pittsburgh’s best rotational defensive linemen.
But if the defense improves, it’s going to be tough for Ekuale to continue seeing close to 20 snaps a game. It’s a positive for the Steelers if they can get off the field on money downs, something they’ve really struggled with this season, but it’ll impact how much someone like Ekuale is seeing the field.
He’s certainly played well so far, and it could be tough for the Steelers to keep him off the field, especially if Benton’s struggles continue. But he’s going to have to show more to get a consistent opportunity.
