Defensive lineman DeMarvin Leal was experiencing his second chance with the Pittsburgh Steelers this fall. But that came to an abrupt end Thursday.
The Steelers announced on social media the team waived Leal from the active roster.
The Steelers brought back Leal on their first 2025 practice squad after waiving him at the end of the preseason. The team then signed the defensive lineman to the active roster before Week 3.
While appearing in three games this season, Leal posted two combined tackles. He played 17 defensive snaps and nine snaps on special teams.
The Steelers drafted Leal at No. 84 overall in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft. The 25-year-0ld has appeared in 31 NFL games, all of which have been with the Steelers from 2022-25.
In his first two seasons, Leal started six contests. He’s registered 35 combined tackles, including three tackles for loss and three quarterback hits in his career. He has also recorded four pass defenses and one sack.
Steelers Announce Waiving Defensive Lineman DeMarvin Leal
As a third-round pick, Leal came into the league with high expectations. But he never lived up to them in Pittsburgh.
While he found his way back to the Steelers active roster this season, Leal was a healthy scratch in three of the prior four games before his release Thursday.
Leal played 13 defensive snaps during Week 3 this season. After that, he lined up for only four snaps on defense.
Following Week 5 during the 2024 campaign, Leal landed on injured reserve because of a neck injury. The defensive lineman also had a stint on injured reserve as a rookie in 2022.
Leal is likely a candidate to return to the Steelers practice squad. But he will have to clear waivers before the team has an opportunity to re-sign him to the practice squad.
On the Steelers official roster and depth chart, the team had Leal listed as a defensive lineman. Without Leal, the Steelers still have Logan Lee, Yahya Black and Esezi Otomewo as depth defensive linemen.
The team also added another former third-round defensive lineman Brodric Martin on Wednesday. The Steelers signed Martin, who was a third-rounder in 2023, off the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad.
Steelers Clear a Spot for QB Will Howard?
With the Leal release, the Steelers have opened a roster spot on their active roster. There’s a decent chance that it could be going to rookie signal-caller Will Howard.
The first-year quarterback must come off injured reserve next week or he will be out for the remainder of the season.
The Steelers opened Howard’s practice window on October 22. The quarterback has to rejoin the active roster within three weeks, or he is done for the rest of 2025.
Although Leal was listed as a defensive lineman, he played most of his snaps this season at outside linebacker according to Pro Football Focus. But the Steelers have depth there as well, which made Leal expendable.
T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig are Pittsburgh’s top three edge rushers. The Steelers also have rookie outside linebacker Jack Sawyer on their active roster.
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