2023 Steelers Training Camp Preview: The Defensive Line

It’s hard to believe but the Pittsburgh Steelers 2023 Training Camp is right around the corner. As we countdown the days until camp begins, SCU will highlight each position group detailing the players who will be competing for a spot on the Steelers’ final 53-man roster at the end of this Summer.

Often regarded as a focal point of the roster, the Steelers defensive line has gone through some changes that were nearly as impactful as those which happened to the offensive line a few seasons ago. Stephon Tuitt and Tyson Alualu, both staples of a stalwart front seven, were absent from action for almost all of the last two seasons.

Tuitt, who reached a career-high double-digit sacks in 2020, officially retired after sitting out 2021. Alualu was injured early on in 2021 and was never quite the same, losing his starting job and meaningful playing time in 2022.

The quest to replace both landed some different names in Pittsburgh, with those on this year’s camp roster looking like the most promising group since the 2020 one. Here are some of the names you need to know as the Steelers get ready to report in Latrobe.

Cameron Heyward

The unsung hero, leader, and heart and soul of the defense, the 34-year-old appears ageless as he continues to carve out his legacy in Pittsburgh.

Many consider Heyward the second-best defensive lineman in the entire National Football League, only behind the unanimous monster that is Rams DT Aaron Donald.

Heyward once again hit double-digit sacks (10.0) this time for a second-straight season, earning his sixth consecutive Pro Bowl nomination. He enters 2023 having not missed a game, due to injury, in those six seasons as well.

Drafted in 2011, one year after the Steelers last Super Bowl appearance, could this be the season that Heyward finally gets to taste major playoff success?

Larry Ogunjobi

A former Brown and Bengal, the 29-year-old, 7-year veteran returns to the Steelers after a one-year prove it deal in which he added stability to the opposite side of the Steelers d-line.

Ogunjobi replaced the spot formerly held but Tuitt as the team’s right defensive end, recording 7 tackles-for-loss and 11 quarterback hits, albeit only 1.5 sacks.

However, teams were unable to run against the Steelers as they did throughout 2021 with Ogunjobi’s presence, and his experience is vital to the resurgence of the front seven. Look for Larry to have an even larger impact now that he’s healthy – he failed a physical with the Bears last season that kept him a free agent through the summer and landed him in Pittsburgh. He often practiced once each week or not at all in 2022, which means a 100% Ogunjobi is a dangerous player to keep an eye out for!

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Last year’s third round pick, DeMarvin Leal, was pegged as either too small to be a defensive end or too large to be an outside linebacker. He landed with the Steelers due to his versatility, and injuries (namely to T.J. Watt) saw Leal forced into playing more of an edge rusher standing up than with his hand in the dirt.

In his second season he should be counted on as strictly an end, seeing as he put on more mass to do so last year.

Leal was also another Steelers who landed on IR during the season which stalled his development. He missed Weeks 6 through 11 before returning against the Atlanta Falcons. His playing time regressed from what it had been pre-injury, so there’s hope he can be in the defensive line rotation more this year.

2023 second round pick Keeanu Benton is a nasty force who can play all positions on the line, but will likely factor in as the new Alualu: he will play as a nose tackle in 3-4 base defense situations and then kick out as an end spelling either Heyward or Ogunjobi.

Pair him with Leal as the rotational ends, and the Steelers have a nasty set of four defenders in their nickel packages that should help preserve the aging Heyward and keep Ogunjobi 100% for the season.

Rounding out the roster

A number of veterans fill out the remaining spots on the Steelers roster, with a number of them battling for fewer spots on the final 53 than what might be available.

Montravius Adams took over as the starting nose tackle for Tyson Alualu last season. He failed to register a hit on the quarterback and only had one tackle-for-loss despite logging a solid amount of time throughout many of the games in 2022. His lack of pop is what may have led to the drafting of Benton, and the additions of free agents Armon Watts and Breiden Fehoko.

Watts is the more seasoned of the two, having appeared in 57 games with 22 starts – including 12 for the Chicago Bears last season. He registered 4 TFLs and 2 QBHs.

Fehoko has appeared in 19 games with 4 starts in three NFL seasons and is listed as a nose tackle rather than a “DT” like Watts.

2021 5th round draft pick Isaiahh Loudermilk continues to develop, but could run out of time to make more of an impact with the recent additions of Leal and Benton. He was counted on more when Leal landed on IR last year, but didn’t make a major impact and saw his playing time reduced after three weeks. (“Milk” would be seldom used as frequently until the season finale.)

Manny Jones, James Nyamwaya, and Jonathan Marshall round out the camp roster, but have a major uphill battle to leapfrog any of the aforementioned names. Renell Wren, who appeared for the Steelers in two games late last season, was placed on injured reserve during offseason workouts. His season is officially over.