Early 53-man roster predictions for Pittsburgh Steelers

Defensive line (7):

Steelers roster prediction: Cameron Heyward, Larry Ogunjobi, Keeanu Benton, DeMarvin Leal, Breiden Fehoko, Armon Watts, James Nyamwaya

The Steelers broke a long trend of only keeping six defensive linemen on the roster, and I think that continues. For starters, they have another deep group of names entering camp, and they clearly want to control the trenches.

They should be able to better do that this season. Larry Ogunjobi has a full offseason to prepare himself, and I expect a better output than last year. Keeanu Benton should be an instant upgrade in the middle of this line with the potential to wear a few different hats for this defense in due time.

The other reason to keep seven here is DeMarvin Leal’s position versatility. Given the weakness at edge rusher, Leal could serve as an oversized backup there on running downs while also being a backup end for this team. I’m skeptical of a position-versatile player, but the team seems to have clear plans for Leal.

Breiden Fehoko and Armon Watts were both added on small deals and aren’t locks to make this team. Fehoko should be a good backup nose tackle though, and he costs less than Montravious Adams. Watts can play inside and outside as well.

I had some fun with the final player and went with UDFA James Nyamwaya. He was dominant at a small school and has the build this team wants in linemen. He can serve as the weekly inactive as he adjusts to the pro-level competition.