Steelers Should Have Massive Concerns About Keeanu Benton: "He Just Doesn't Look Right To Me"

The Pittsburgh Steelers offense seems to be clicking with Russell Wilson as the quarterback. The passing game is much improved and the unit had more than 400 total yards two games in a row for the first time since 2018 after beating the New York Giants on Monday Night Football. Maybe the previous offensive struggles were detracting from some of the concerns that have started to pop up about the defense, and now that they are playing better, cracks are showing elsewhere. 

Pittsburgh has the highest paid defense in the league, and the expectations regarding their performance are justifiably high. With their "bend don't break" approach to defense, they gave up 394 total yards against the Giants in Week 8. While it was good enough to win, that game should have been a smackdown, not a nail-biter. Now, the fingers are starting to be pointed, and one player who is popping up in conversations about who is falling short is defensive lineman, Keeanu Benton. 

Recently, Ray Fittipaldo joined Adam Crowley and Dorin Dickerson on The Fan Morning Show on 93.7 The Fan. Crowley asked Fittipaldo for his thoughts on Benton and said he was disappointed by his play, especially against the run. Fittipaldo agreed that Benton is getting bullied by offensive guards and centers.   

"He might be injured, and we just don't know about it," speculated Fittipaldo. "He just doesn't look right to me. I've been on this train for a while; he's not big enough to be a traditional nose. I was watching that game, and he was getting single-blocked a lot. I hope he's injured. If he's not injured, it's a step back for him this year. Back in July and August, we were talking about him being a breakout player, and he's been anything but in the first two months. Just more woes for that defensive line. It's a good thing Cam Heyward is playing at an All-Pro level because you're not seeing much from those other guys on that line."

Benton has been struggling against the run recently. Pro Football Focus (PFF) has him at a run defense grade of 43.3, but his passing defense grade is 80.4, which is seventh out of 198 defensive linemen. That makes his overall grade, through eight games, 66.0, which is 53rd out of 198 defensive linemen. He has 13 solo tackles, four hurries, and one batted pass against Aaron Rodgers in the Steelers' win over the New York Jets in Week 7.

Fittipaldo said that while Benton is small, the focus in the league has shifted from size to versatility. Even if he isn't big, he has to be able to handle coverage, which he doesn't do consistently against the run.