Coming into the offseason, the Steelers had their eyes on extensions for five players, kicker Chris Boswell, pass rusher Nick Herbig, tight end Darnell Washington, cornerback Joey Porter Jr., and defensive tackle Keeanu Benton. With deals done for Boswell, Herbig, and Washington, Pittsburgh has set its give attention to Porter as its next priority, per Steelers insider Mark Kaboly, then Benton may have his opportunity.
Except for Boswell, the entire above players were selections from Omar Khan‘s first draft as general manager of the Steelers. Benton was the team’s third-round selection out of Wisconsin, where he had made a reputation for himself as a disruptive force along the Badgers defensive position. Due to an early-season injury to veteran defensive tackle Cameron Heyward, Benton was put right into a heavy share of the rotation early into his rookie campaign. By the point Heyward returned from injury, Benton had worked his way right into a starting role.
After starting nine games in 12 months 1, Benton earned a good greater role for his second season. In 14 starts in 17 game appearances, Benton showed good instincts for deflecting passes, totaling eight through two years and even nabbing himself an interception in 2024. And, while 16 quarterback hits over that point showed his ability to get into the backfield, he didn’t appear to give you the chance to complete the play, only totaling two sacks and three tackles for loss through two campaigns. As a full-time starter in 2025, Benton appeared to finally put all of it together, setting profession highs with 5.5 sacks, six tackles for loss, 12 quarterback hits, and 51 total tackles.
Benton doesn’t offer much when it comes to run defense, but he has routinely shined as an interior pass rusher throughout his profession. Seeing him hit his stride last yr has to provide the Steelers some comfort that he’s delivering on his collegiate potential, but he will not be a three-down lineman just yet. The team had drafted Derrick Harmon out of Oregon in the primary round last yr, but that likely has more to do with the team’s star interior defender, Heyward, turning 37 a month ago.
If the Steelers like what they’re starting to see out of Benton together with his production last yr, extending him now could help keep things solid along the inside for every time Heyward finally decides to hold up his cleats. Benton has finally begun to money in on the pass rushing potential he’s shown his whole profession, and though Porter is the priority in the meanwhile, Benton will want to start practicing his signature with how efficiently Pittsburgh has been tackling this offseason.