The Pittsburgh Steelers might have a Keeanu Benton decision coming faster than they’d like.
Benton is entering the kind of window where talent, opportunity, positional value, and timing can all collide at once. If the Steelers are right about what they have in him, waiting could get expensive in a hurry.
That’s what makes this offseason so for the fourth-year defender. Pittsburgh already has Joey Porter Jr. awaiting an extension, and Benton is right there with him as one of the young defensive building blocks who could force the front office into an interesting position.
The Steelers can hope that Benton’s price stays manageable. They can also look around the league, see what disruptive interior defenders are getting paid, and realize this could be one of those situations where patience costs more than action.
Pittsburgh Steelers DC Patrick Graham could make Keeanu Benton much harder to afford
Still Curtain editor Tommy Jaggi summed up Benton’s potential future in one sentence.
“Keeanu Benton has a chance to rise up into maybe that second tier of total NFL defensive tackle,” Jaggi said on the "Still Curtain" podcast.
That’s a bold statement, but not out of the realm of possibility. Benton, who’s listed at 6-foot-4 and 309 pounds, already brings the kind of power and movement skills Pittsburgh wants in the middle of its defense. He’s not just a space-eating nose tackle who exists to absorb double teams. His game has more disruption in it than that.
That’s where Patrick Graham enters the chat. Graham is now the Steelers’ defensive coordinator after coming over from the Las Vegas Raiders, and his arrival could change the way Benton is used.
“He’s a talented dude who has been playing out of position as a zero technique most of his career so far,” said Jaggi.
That’s been the frustration with Benton through the early part of his career. He’s often been asked to play more like a traditional nose tackle, when his better fit may be as a penetrating defensive end or 3-technique defensive tackle. If Graham and new defensive line coach Domata Peko give him more freedom across the interior, Benton could start looking less like a projection and more like a centerpiece.
“I think Patrick Graham is going to unlock him more this year than he’s ever been before,” Shayne Kubas, co-editor of “Still Curtain” added.
That would be great news for the defense. It could also be expensive for the front office.
Benton took a real step in 2025, starting all 17 regular-season games and setting career highs with 51 tackles, 5.5 sacks, and 12 quarterback hits. He also moved around more in nickel packages, giving Pittsburgh a glimpse of what he can be when he’s allowed to rush and disrupt rather than just eat blocks.
Spotrac’s projection already has Benton’s next contract at four years and $103.81 million, which comes out to nearly $26 million per year. Even if that number feels high, it shows where the conversation could go if Benton breaks out again.
“Pay the guy now because we’re looking at what these guys are getting paid. It’s wild,” Jaggi said.
Benton turns 25 next month. If Graham unlocks the version Pittsburgh thinks is in there, the Steelers may soon wish they’d bought in before the rest of the league saw it too.
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