Steelers' Ike Taylor Gushed With Pride Over Keeanu Benton 2nd Season: "He's A Goddang Dawg"

The Pittsburgh Steelers' aging defensive line has come under scrutiny, with defensive tackle Cameron Heyward engaged in a contract negotiation. The 35-year-old fan favorite is in the final year of his contract and wants the team to work out a deal that keeps him beyond 2024. While most veterans recently attended Organized Team activities (OTAs), Heyward did not. Head Coach Mike Tomlin emphasized attendance was not mandatory, but most showed up to work alongside their teammates.

This allowed second-year player Keeanu Benton to shine under the tutelage of other returning linemen. Recently, ESPN's Brooke Pryor reported that Montravius Adams has stepped up to help Benton develop into both a starter and a leader on the line. However, reports say that Hewyard is still making his presence known.

Former Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor recently told his co-host Mark Bergin on his podcast, Bleav In Steelers, that he is like a proud father watching Benton. In addition to podcasting, Taylor is also a scout for the Steelers' front office. This means that he is often at the facility helping to develop and evaluate players. On a recent episode, Talyor and Bergin discussed Taylor's impressions of some of the players from OTAs. Bergin wanted to know who Taylor expects great things from this season. 

"I'm just gonna throw out Keeanu Benton. I'm just a huge fan of Benton. It's that smile for me. It's that big a** smile. He's just having fun. He's a big kid at heart. But he's a goddang dawg when it comes down to being on the field. Honestly, sometimes we say, 'He don't know how good he can be.' I think Keeanu know how good he can be. He works his a** off to try to be that good, whether it's off or on the field. I'm a fan of him, I wanna see him in his second year what he can do," Taylor said with pride.

Bergin said Taylor took the words right out of his mouth: He has Benton as his year two player to watch. He expects Benton to make a huge leap forward in 2024. 

Benton was the Steelers' 2023 2nd-round selection in the NFL Draft out of Wisconsin. During the 2023 season, Benton did not start initially, but was forced to fill in for an injured Heyward for nine games. During the season, he played 484 snaps and had 36 total tackles, one sack and two forced fumbles. 

Steelers' Keeanu Benton In Role Reversal

In 2023, Benton was the sponge, soaking up as much information as he could from Heyward and his fellow defensive linemen. He is a scholar of the game, so he knows that his learning and growing will never be done, but he also knows that the game never stops evolving. 

This means that Benton is now providing that mentorship to Logan Lee, the Steelers 2024 sixth-round selection. Benton told the media after OTAs that Lee has been busy picking his brain already. He is willing to step into this role, stating that "guys gravitate towards me." He takes pride in giving them the same honest answers that he was given. He appreciates the shifting role and the ability to have his voice heard in the locker room. 

Benton appears to be the heir apparent when Heyward retires. The Steelers' defense has prided itself on passing the baton from the veterans to the younger players. This seemed to start with the incredible defenses of the 1970s and move on through Rod Woodson and Greg Lloyd to James Harrison and Casey Hampton to guys like Heyward and TJ Watt. Now, this incredible sharing of combined knowledge from decades of black and gold defenders continues. 

What do you think about Benton? Can he fill Heyward's shoes? Are you surprised he is already acting as a mentor to Lee? Click to comment below. 

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