DeMarin Leal is entering his fourth season, and the Pittsburgh Steelers still don't have a clue what to do with him. Early in the Steelers training camp sessions, Mike Tomlin and defensive coordinator Teryl Austin are using Leal as a 3-4 outside linebacker (or edge rusher)... and we have the right to once again question why.
Leal was one of the final draft picks of the Kevin Colbert era. The former five-star recruit out of Texas A&M was a tweener in a bad way—not enough athletic traits to stick as an edge rusher and not enough size and strength to be a full-time interior defender.
Because of this, most assumed Leal would see a role as a situational 3-technique—an undersized defensive lineman who could knife into the backfield from the 'B' gap and get quick pressure on the quarterback. Sadly, the Steelers have rarely used him this way, and he's become a colossal draft disappointment.
Instead, Tomlin and Austin once again seem determined to make Leal outside linebacker depth. And if this is the plan, they might as well trade him now.
The Pittsburgh Steelers should trade DeMarvin Leal during training camp
Leal isn't for everyone. The former Texas A&M product entered the league at 6'3 7/8'' and 283 pounds when he became the third-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2022 NFL Draft. But after being stuck between two positions, it's clear Tomlin wasn't able to figure out how to use him.
Despite his former draft status, Leal finds himself on the outside of the roster bubble, looking in. The Steelers only keep four edge rushers every year, and these four are easy to figure out. T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Nick Herbig are roster locks, while Pittsburgh spent a fourth-round pick on Ohio State's Jack Sawyer in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Sawyer was considered a value pick in the draft, and he's already taken snaps with the second-team defense. Knowing that Leal has also been working with the outside linebacker group means that he's bound to be the odd man out. And at this point, entering Year 4, there's no upside in keeping him around.
Instead of simply carrying Leal on the roster through the rest of training camp and the preseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers could trade the former third-round pick to a team that still thinks he could make the roster.
Entering the final year of his contract with hardly any statistical production means that Leal's trade value would be low. We're talking about a late-round Day 3 pick swap in 2026 or 2027. Nothing more. Still, this option is better than hanging onto him only to cut him in September.
The worst-case scenario is that the Steelers suffer an injury at the edge rusher position before the season. But if that happens, they're better off signing a veteran than promoting Leal. His time in Pittsburgh has run its course, and the Steelers should be looking for a trade partner.