Steelers' DeMarvin Leal Highlights Intense Competition Amongst The Defensive Line

The Pittsburgh Steelers have one of the better defenses in the league. A lot of that is due to their front seven, specifically the pass rush. TJ Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Cam Heyward are solidified veterans when it comes to getting to the quarterback. Others behind them on the defensive line have a lot to prove, including third-year pro DeMarvin Leal. Pittsburgh selected Leal in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Texas A&M, and it's safe to say he has struggled to start his career.

Pittsburgh is one of the best teams in the league when it comes to bringing the quarterback to the ground. Much of that is because of Watt, who has led the league in sacks in three separate seasons. That kind've production is inspiring to his teammates, who know they need to chip in more defensively. After Pittsburgh's second practice of training camp, Leal spoke to the media about competing with his teammates to get into the backfield.

"Oh yeah, we're competing to get to the QB. The whole defensive line, we competing to see who can be the first one to get to the QB. Don't want it to just be TJ or Cam or Larry [Ogunjobi] or Alex, you know what I'm saying. We want it to be our second wave, third wave, fourth wave if we have one. We all want to get there, we all want to compete to get to the QB." 

Leal sounds like he knows he hasn't produced enough at this point in his career, as he has only registered one sack despite appearing in 23 regular season games and starting six of them. Some of his lack of production can be attributed to his injury struggles. He went on injured reserve during his rookie year in 2022, and battled through some injuries again in 2023.

During the 2023 season the Steelers managed to sack the opposing quarterback 47 times. This had them tied for 11th in the NFL, which is nothing to scoff at, but the unit knows they can be better. More production needs to come from the backups on the defensive line, especially since guys like Watt and Highsmith often take plays off in the middle of a drive to re-gain some energy.

Watt tallied 19 sacks in 2023, which accounted for 40 percent of the Steelers total. Add Highsmith into that and it becomes 55 percent of Pittsburgh's total, and it becomes 66 percent with the other two starters on the defensive line. Players that play in relief of starters on the defensive line managed to get to the quarterback just 9.5 times, which is a measly 20 percent of the team total. 

In order to increase those numbers Pittsburgh should expect to see a jump from Nick Herbig, who will see an increase in snaps as he has been elevated to the third outside linebacker. He is one of the players Leal mentioned he is competing with in his post-practice interview. Competing the way the two are in training camp should lead to more overall production from the unit.

Steelers' DeMarvin Leal Has Impressed Early On In Camp

Pittsburgh hasn't suited up in full pads so far in camp, and they won't do so until Tuesday. The practices are similar to what was seen in minicamp, but Leal has impressed regardless. The team is basically just in helmets and shorts, but he has done a good job fighting through the offensive line to blow up plays.

High hopes and expectations have been placed on Leal for a couple of years now. Maybe this is the season he is able to put it all together and make an impact in the regular season. If he is finally able to stay healthy, he should be on track to have his best season yet.

What do you think of Leal's comments? Let us know in the comments below!

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