Coming off a career game, Steelers DL Keeanu Benton doesn’t see it as anything special—at least not his preparation. Speaking to Ray Fittipaldo, he talked about his outing against the Vikings. Even though he had his splashiest performance, he says, it’s all about split seconds.
“I don’t think I was doing anything that was crazy different”, Fittipaldo quoted Benton as saying in a recent article for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I feel like in those milliseconds on those plays, I was ready and I was able to make those plays rather than being a second too late”.
A 2023 second-round draft pick, Keeanu Benton has shown flash in his first two NFL seasons. He was supposed to take a big step forward last year, and after that never happened, the expectations shifted to 2025. Yet after three games, even people like Fittipaldo predicted the Steelers would demote him.
If Benton’s last game is more representative of what he’ll show going forward that certainly won’t happen. Against the Vikings, he recorded four tackles, with 1.5 sacks. He rushed the passer well in general, helping contribute to others registering sacks and hits. Given that he only had two sacks in his first 37 games, that’s a pretty big deal.
The Steelers have consistently viewed Keeanu Benton as a staple of their defensive future. Perhaps recent performances caused them to doubt that long-term vision, but young players always have the opportunity to grow. Of course, one game certainly doesn’t mean more than 37 games, so he has to build on that.
That’s the message Steelers DC Teryl Austin has been feeding Benton, urging him to stack performances like that. Consistency is one of the most critical factors in success, and that means doing the routine things routinely.
Benton has struggled with that, as former Steelers DL Chris Hoke pointed out. Of course, he did a better job of that against the Vikings, but there is still more room to grow. Having Cameron Heyward on one side and Derrick Harmon on the other can only help.
Up next for Keeanu Benton is a strong Browns offensive interior line. With Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller at guard and Ethan Pocic at center, he will have his hands full. And Browns rookie RB Quinshon Judkins is proving to be a load. He can help by simply keeping the gaps clear for the linebackers to shoot through, but he also needs to make the plays that present themselves. Too often, he had been milliseconds too late.
