Organizational Flaw Exposed For The Steelers As Defender Embraces His "Last Opportunity"

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a lot of questions throughout their roster, but the outside linebackers room is not one of them. Pittsburgh has one of the best groups of edge rushers in the league, and that is mainly due to the two guys at the front of the depth chart: TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith. Both players are game-wreckers, while Nick Herbig would likely be a starter on any other roster in the league. Pittsburgh also added 2025 fourth-round draft pick Jack Sawyer to the mix, while Jeremiah Moon also played some meaningful snaps for Pittsburgh in 2024.

The only worry about the group of outside linebackers in Pittsburgh is with Watt's contract. He is entering the final year of his current deal, and he is awaiting an extension from Pittsburgh. A deal will likely get done between the two sides, but these kinds of situations for the Steelers don't usually happen until August or later. 

The other worry would be injuries. Highsmith and Herbig both missed time in 2024, and Watt played through an ankle injury towards the end of the year. In what might be an attempt to add some more depth, Pittsburgh is trying to convert former defensive lineman DeMarvin Leal into an outside linebacker, which insider Mark Kaboly discussed on Kaboly + Mack.

"He put some weight on his a** and obviously found a position where they're gonna give him one last opportunity," Kaboly said. "Considerably bigger than last year and it looks like they're gonna give him every opportunity to be a rotational, a chance to play outside linebacker. I haven't seen him on the defensive line. He's more working with Alex Highsmith right now. So it's his last opportunity. It's a shame that it comes in Year 4 where they're finally saying, 'Okay, this position might be best for you.'"

Leal was drafted in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Steelers, and his career has been rough up until this point. He has missed time in all three seasons due to injury, and he has only cracked the starting lineup six times. He is coming off of a season where he played in only five games, and so far in his career, he has recorded just one sack and 33 tackles.

Kaboly pointed out how it is a shame that Leal is on his last chance and he is just now getting a chance to play outside linebacker. He took some reps on the outside during training camp ahead of the 2024 season, but nothing really came of it. It is truly a flaw of Pittsburgh's to draft a player and then have no real plan for them. Leal's injuries didn't help, but the organization could of done something to help him along the way.

Now, he is entering the final season of his rookie deal, and he could be on the chopping block if he can't figure out how to make a meaningful impact. He isn't playing defensive line anymore it appears, despite that being the spot Pittsburgh could use more help.

As mentioned, injuries have plagued Leal throughout his career in the NFL, but hopefully he can find a way to stick around for the 2025 season. If he can find out how to make some high-impact plays, he could get a better opportunities elsewhere.

Steelers' DeMarvin Leal Doesn't Seem To Have A Great Chance To Make 2025 Roster

It is nice that the Steelers are giving Leal a chance to make a name for himself at outside linebacker, but it is going to be extremely hard for him to cut through in that room. Watt and Highsmith are two of the best in the league, Herbig is on his way to being that if he can get more snaps, and Sawyer is an exciting rookie that fits the mold of being a Steeler. 

Moon is also an elite athlete, and he might not even make the cut himself. Things are not looking great for Leal, but maybe he can carve out a role for himself on special teams. The rest of the offseason will be very telling for his future.

What do you think about Leal transitioning to outside linebacker? Let us know in the comments below!

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