Steelers Scenario Series, Part 4: Best and Worst Cases for the Defensive Line

The 2025 Pittsburgh Steelers roster is an intriguing mix of fresh talent and seasoned veterans on both sides of the ball, and each position group will have it’s own challenges to develop into an efficient, productive squad like the Front Office and Coaching Staff envision them to be. The Steelers don’t do hard resets and they never plan to be bad, and that philosophy brings with it the expectation for each group to provide winning level play every year.

With recent Draft picks looking to find their footing, new Free Agent and Trade acquisitions getting acclimated, and familiar faces returning for another year, there’s a lot of variables that play into fielding a winning roster. In this series, we’ll identify a “lynchpin” player (player who’s success or failure will most heavily impact the group) and a rising star for each position, as well as determine the best- and worst-case scenarios for the 2025 season based on the current roster.

Up next: Defensive Line

Previous:
Offensive Line
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receiver

ON THE ROSTER

Cam Heyward, Keeanu Benton, Derrick Harmon, DeMarvin Leal, Yahya Black, Daniel Ekuale, Logan Lee, Isaiah Loudermilk, Dean Lowry, Domenique Davis, Esezi Otemewo, Jacob Slade

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Lynchpin Player: Cameron Heyward
Rising Star: Derrick Harmon

BEST CASE SCENARIO

The Steelers upgraded an interior DL that was already among the League’s best, with rookie 1st Round Pick Derrick Harmon fitting in seamlessly as a dominant run defender on Day 1 and situational pass rusher across from perennial All-Pro Cam Heyward, who continues to push back Father Time and dominate up front. Benton finds new life at the Nose in base defense with more opportunities to move around with the versatility and depth of the group overall, utilizing his natural length and quickness to affect the pass rush. Speaking of depth, developmental players like Loudermilk, Lee, and rookie Yahya Black provide just enough in reserve to give the starters ample rest to stay fresh late in games and late in the season without sacrificing too much playmaking ability when they are in.

WORST CASE SCENARIO

Cam Heyward hits the age wall early in the season, or gets hurt and misses major time, forcing Harmon and Benton to anchor things or take on bigger roles than they need to at this stage of their careers. If Harmon struggles to make the NFL transition right away, Keeanu Benton has plateaued as a talent, and the rest of the depth pieces are forced into more prominent roles, the struggles to stop the run and push the pocket in the passing game could be too much to overcome for a Defense that relies so heavily on it’s Front 7.