Ranking every Steelers position by need in 2023 offseason

Steelers position of need #2: DE

Need level: Who else besides Cam?

The Steelers defensive line as a whole is barren right now. Despite being a deeper unit this past season in terms of depth, the group is lacking a true star besides Heyward. Larry Ogunjobi was supposed to fill that role, and while he wasn’t horrible, his play certainly wasn’t star quality. Moving forward, the depth here is very much in question.

The only potential light here is DeMarvin Leal. The third-round rookie was a versatile weapon for this team, and while he didn’t light up the stat sheet, he looked the part of a good NFL player. The issue is, he is almost positionless. The team lined him up as an end, inside, and even as an edge rusher on occasion. While I think Leal has a good future as a chess piece, I don’t think he fits the mold of a traditional end for this team.

This is a unit that needs to be invested in during 2023. That could come by way of a bigger free agent or by an early draft selection to help this group out. Heyward is a great player, but age is going to catch up with him sooner than later. The team needs to begin building this unit back into a strength.