From roughly 2016-2020, the Pittsburgh Steelers had a dominant defensive line, one that gave opposing offenses headaches.
That defensive line featured Cameron Heyward, Stephon Tuitt, Javon Hargrave and Tyson Alualu, among others. Together, that group wrecked opposing offensive lines, creating general chaos that really helped the Steelers’ defense thrive.
They haven’t had that since the retirement of Tuitt after the 2020 season, as well as losing Hargrave in free agency ahead of the 2020 season.
For The Athletic’s Robert Mays though, they might have that chaos feeling back now, thanks to the growth and development of second-year defensive lineman Keeanu Benton.
In the latest episode of “The Athletic Football Show” Mays spoke highly of Benton with Pro Football Focus’s Trevor Sikkema, highlighting Benton as one of 11 breakout players in the NFL this season.
“…This guy is gonna be an absolute beast,” Mays said of Benton, according to video via The Athletic on YouTube. “And Mike Tomlin alluded to it a little bit, I think, early on in camp. He said something about him a couple days ago where he thinks there’s a chance he can be dominant sooner rather than later. I think that’s potentially coming.”
Benton is everyone’s favorite pick for a breakout player this season, thanks to his impressive tape as a rookie, flashing quite often for the Steelers.
Now that he’s had a lap around the track in the NFL, as Mike Tomlin likes to say, and has found his “professional body” as position coach Karl Dunbar said during minicamp, big things are expected of the Wisconsin product in Year 2.
With that experience under his belt and that physical transformation coming off of a strong rookie season, Benton could be even better, which is a scary thought.
As a rookie, Benton flashed great power and speed on the inside, showcasing an intriguing pass-rush arsenal that included an impressive club/swim move that allowed him to win often on the interior in the NFL. In his rookie season, Benton recorded 22 pressures for the Steelers, playing 448 snaps.
He also had an impressive bull rush, displaying the eye-opening power that was his calling card at Wisconsin.
Now a true starter for the Steelers at nose tackle entering the 2024 season, Benton will be counted on to take a significant step forward and deliver on the potential that he showed as a rookie.
If he does, he really could become a dominant force in the trenches defensively, reminding fans and the media of that Tuitt-era defensive line that created a ton of chaos.
“I think that Benton can potentially provide that sort of like, chaos factor to what this group feels like in a way we haven’t really seen since Stephon Tuitt retired,” Mays added. “And you combine that with what they have going on the edge, and suddenly it’s easy to get very, very excited about what this whole group can look like again, even more than we have over the last couple years when they’ve been pretty good.”