By Christopher Barbre,Steeler Nation
Copyright yardbarker
The Pittsburgh Steelers are already starting to be mocked for their preseason comments after just two games. Multiple people, including Head Coach Mike Tomlin, claimed that this defense could be historically great. They seem to be trending towards historically bad instead after giving up 32 points in Week 1 and 24 in Week 2. If you count Kaleb Johnson’s blunder from the kickoff return against the defense, that number goes up to 31. There are all kinds of issues on that side of the ball, and it’s hard to single one player out for what’s going on.
However, insider Gerry Dulac was asked about one player in particular during his weekly Q&A chat, as fans have started to take notice of the issues going on in the interior defensive line.
“#95 [Keeanu Benton] looks like a player that should be cut. Do they make a change on the DL?” A fan asked.
Dulac did not outright say that Keeanu Benton would be cut or benched, but he did acknowledge that his recent performance is not acceptable at all. His time could still be up if does not turn things around soon.
“He has not played very well, that’s for sure,” Dulac said. “Year 3 and he shouldn’t be regressing.”
The Steelers’ run defense has been absolutely abysmal during the first two games of the season. When that happens, the first group that gets looked at is the interior defensive line. Benton has been the starter at nose tackle, but he has had virtually no production. The eye test, the stats, and the advanced analytics all agree that there is a gaping hole in the trenches at whichever spot the former second-round pick is at during a particular snap.
In the first two games, Benton has just three tackles and one quarterback hit, despite playing 102 total snaps so far with all but eight of them coming on defense. Meanwhile, both opponents have torched the Steelers in the run game. Kenneth Walker III had 105 yards and a touchdown on just 13 carries in Week 2, with most of that production coming in the second half of the game.
Benton was one of the many third-year players that was expected to have a microscope placed on him to see how he developed. With how weak the depth of the defensive line has been, there was a lot of weight placed on the third-year lineman’s shoulders. As of now, he appears to be crumbling under that weight as he takes the front seven down with him. This can’t continue, or else the non-losing streak could come to an end.
Steelers Are Getting Even Weaker At Defensive Line
With the aforementioned lack of depth, Benton will be given plenty of chances to bounce back up and prove himself. While rookie Derrick Harmon is expected to come back soon, his snaps will likely be limited as he tries to get back up to speed. He has not officially made his NFL debut yet due to a preseason injury, so it’s not like he will be rushed out there to take every snap immediately.
On top of that, Isaiahh Loudermilk has suffered a high-ankle sprain. He started both games at defensive end for the Steelers, but he will now be out until at least the Week 5 bye. While he was not quite productive either, it still hurts to lose all these healthy, capable bodies when the whole unit is crumbling before our eyes. Even if Benton does lose his spot at nose tackle, he will be able to get plenty of snaps at the other interior defensive line positions for the next couple weeks.
