While Pittsburgh Steelers fans are rightfully full of doom and gloom this week following the spanking the team got from the Patriots, not everything has been negative for the team. In particular, Pittsburgh has gotten some strong play on defense.
While everyone has focused on the success of the edge rushers (mainly T.J. Watt), the defensive line has also been stout. Most importantly, Pittsburgh has been able to successfully rotate its line to keep players fresh.
So far, it has been working wonders for Keeanu Benton.
The fourth-year defensive lineman has had an up-and-down career to this point. It felt like he was too hot or too cold when he played, leading to extremely impressive stretches of play but also bouts where he was a non-factor.
It made fans question the team for giving him a new deal this offseason, especially in hindsight, with the Joey Porter Jr. Deal falling apart. Through two games of the season, it looks like the Steelers may have hit a home run.
The Steelers are already getting the best out of Keeanu Benton
While the stats don’t look gaudy for Benton, six total tackles and no sacks aren't, his tape is a different story. He is constantly beating his blocks and applying pressure from the interior.
He’s doing all this despite the heavy rotation along the defensive line. No player has more than 64 percent of the total defensive snaps, meaning opportunities are more limited.
PFF backs up these claims. Benton is currently the third-best defensive lineman in the NFL with an 89.8 rating. His pass-rush score is second-best at 91.5.
More importantly, his run defense has seen a big jump as well. While it is still the weaker aspect of his game, he feels like a more well-rounded defender.
He still has to put all of this together and get some production. You can’t truly break out with just good film and good grades but no production. That said, I’d bet on him getting home and padding his stats sooner rather than later.
Assuming Benton keeps up this level of play, he won’t just earn that pay raise he got last year – he'll be an up-and-coming defensive lineman playing at a steep discount.
Top defensive linemen get paid well over thirty million dollars a season. Potential top names on the open market will likely get a contract in the mid- to high-twenty-million-dollar range. Benton is coming in at just $18 million in average value and is just starting his deal.
I loved this deal for the Steelers when it was announced. You are taking a chance on one of your young players getting better moving forward. That already looks like it has materialized, and it is something worth celebrating despite a tough start to the season.
Add us as a preferred source on Google