The Pittsburgh Steelers have now released former third-round pick DeMarvin Leal two times this season. But Leal’s tenure with the team will continue.
The Steelers announced Saturday morning they have signed the defensive lineman to their practice squad. The acquisition occurred two days after the team released Leal from their 53-man active roster.
After that release this week, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo called Leal a “bad match” for the Steelers defense.
“I don’t know if I blame and player or if I blame the coach,” Fittipaldo said on 93.7 The Fan while addressing Leal failing to meet third-round expectations, via Steelers Depot’s Matthew Marczi.
“It was just a bad match from the outset. Good luck to him, but I don’t think it was a particularly big loss for that defense.”
The Steelers, though, clearly still value having Leal in their organization. While the team opened a roster spot with his release to potentially activate a player from injured reserve, the team brought back Leal after he cleared waivers.
In addition to re-adding Leal, the Steelers also announced two practice squad elevations Saturday. The team promoted linebacker Mark Robinson and running back Trey Sermon from the practice squad to the active roster for Week 10.
The Steelers will visit the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday Night Football on November 9.
Steelers Re-Sign DeMarvin Leal to Practice Squad
While Leal has managed to hang around the organization, his role in Pittsburgh has been diminishing for quite some time.
Leal appeared in 23 contests during his first two seasons combined. But during his second campaign in 2023, Leal was a healthy scratch several times.
Last season, he dressed for the first five games but then landed on season-ending injured reserve because of a neck issue.
Since drafting Leal at No. 84 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Steelers also added second-rounder Keeanu Benton and first-round pick Derrick Harmon. At the end of the 2025 preseason, the team released Leal, seemingly marking the end of his tenure in Pittsburgh.
But the Steelers brought back Leal on their first practice squad. Leal then re-signed with the team’s active roster before Week 3.
The defensive lineman, though, was a healthy scratch in three of his final four games before his release Thursday.
In 31 games, Leal has posted 35 combined tackles, including three for loss in his career. He also has three quarterback hits, four pass defenses and one sack.
This season, he has registered two combined tackles while playing 17 defensive snaps and nine snaps on special teams.
Steelers Elevate LB Mark Robinson, RB Trey Sermon for Week 10
Against the Chargers on Sunday, the Steelers will be without veteran linebacker Cole Holcomb for the second consecutive week. But Robinson will make his Steelers 2025 debut in his place.
Although Robinson was a seventh-round pick, like Leal, the Steelers selected Robinson in the 2022 NFL Draft. Also like Leal, the Steelers released the linebacker at the end of the 2025 preseason.
But unlike his draft classmate, Robinson signed with a different team’s practice squad — the New England Patriots. After three games with the Patriots, the linebacker then joined the New York Jets.
In six contests overall during 2025, Robinson has posted five combined tackles. During 38 games with the Steelers from 2022-24, Robinson registered 45 combined tackles with one sack.
The Steelers have often elevated running backs from the practice squad this season to give the offense extra backfield depth. Sermon will play in his fourth game during 2025 on Sunday.
Sermon has only lined up for one offensive snap this season. But he’s returned kickoffs for the team. Sermon posted 51 return yards on two returns in his previous three games.
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