Steelers' Mike Tomlin Expects Sensational Rookie Keeanu Benton To Dominate Sooner Rather Than Later

Injuries played a much larger role in Pittsburgh's 2023 season than they would like, and due to necessity, Benton found himself getting much more playing time than he believed he would get. Heyward missed extensive time with a groin injury, forcing Pittsburgh's hand with their rookie defensive tackle. In his end-of-season press conference on Thursday, Tomlin made sure to mention the contributions they got from Benton and the hopes the team has for him going forward.

"It's interesting, I just had an exit interview with him. Really excited about the prospects of his future. He's really talented. I think he's capable of being dominant, um, sooner rather than later, and so the question is how quickly can we make that happen, and what are our roles in doing so? And so we just had a real good conversation about what that looks like foundationally, and how do we build?"

Benton ended up playing 483 snaps, much higher than either he or Pittsburgh expected when he was drafted, despite his second-round pedigree. Despite only tallying one sack during the season, Benton's 74.8 grade from PFF matched up with Tomlin's glowing report on his rookie season. It will be an important offseason for the defensive tackle, as the expectations in 2024 will certainly be higher. Though, if his track record proves anything, Benton is aiming to exceed those as well.

Steelers Know Age Will Take Its Toll

The Steelers have several areas on their team where age is becoming an issue and where their recent rookie haul will be needed the most. Heyward will be entering his 14th year of experience in the NFL when the 2024 regular season comes around, and Larry Ogunjobi will be on the wrong side of 30. Both are nearing the end of their respective careers, and Pittsburgh needs confidence in the players that will fill their spots.

Benton is certainly one of the rookies from 2023 who will be relied on to grow in his second season. Not all young, talented players hit the ground running, though, as was the case with DeMarvin Leal, who is still struggling to find his feet since being drafted in 2022. The Steelers want to get the most out of both those defensive players, even if they currently are on different trajectories.

It isn't just up front on defense where age is starting to become a factor for the Steelers. Patrick Peterson was brought in to add necessary veteran experience to the position group and locker room. While he may have contributed in those ways, on the field, he never lived up to the hype. Porter Jr. and the injured Corey Trice Jr will be looked to in 2024 and beyond to be the next generation of lockdown defenders for the Steelers.

The 2023 Steelers' defense never lived up to the hopes the team had going into the season, and while injuries can take some of the blame, there is a great deal of work to be done ahead of 2024. Tomlin said a lot of the right things at his press conference on Thursday, but whether or not Pittsburgh comes through on those words will have to be seen. For the Steelers to return to their championship ways, they will need every single aspect of the franchise prepared. The question is whether they can do that in a single offseason.

What rookies from 2023 do you have high expectations for going forward?