Leal will get chance with Highsmith injury

Two years ago, then-rookie defensive end DeMarvin Leal was thrust into an unintended position switch when T.J. Watt was injured in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ season opener and missed the next seven games.

This year, Leal is being called upon to fill in at outside linebacker again for as long as Alex Highsmith is sidelined because of a groin injury.

Leal believes he is better prepared to deal with the transition.

“I’ve been focusing on this position since I first got here,” Leal said Wednesday. “Now, I get to display it with more opportunity. I’ve been waiting for my opportunity to come, and we’re going to go get it.”

Coach Mike Tomlin has ruled out Highsmith from playing Sunday when the 3-0 Steelers face the 1-2 Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Second-year outside linebacker Nick Herbig, coming off a two-sack performance against the Los Angeles Chargers, is expected to make his first NFL start in place of Highsmith.

Leal will serve as a backup at both outside linebacker spots.

It’s an opportunity for increased playing time that Leal didn’t get in the first three weeks of the season when he logged a combined 17 snaps while being one of the least-used members of the defensive line rotation.

When it was mentioned that Tomlin said Leal is antsy to contribute to the NFL’s topranked defense, he smiled and nodded.

“Most definitely. That is completely true,” he said. “I didn’t start this year just to sit there. Let’s get it.”

Leal hasn’t played double digit snaps in a game since Week 9 last season.

At outside linebacker, there are fewer bodies for Leal to compete with for playing time. On the defensive line, he logged fewer snaps than backups Montravius Adams and Isaiahh Loudermilk. In Week 3, the Steelers dressed a seventh defensive lineman, with Dean Lowry playing six snaps.

One difference for Leal from his rookie season is his weight. He estimates he weighed between 310-315 pounds that season so he also could be used on the interior of the defensive line.

Leal weighs closer to 275 this season thanks to a transformation he made in the offseason so he could be leaner and faster at the point of attack.

“It’s being able to consistently rush off the edge, be able to get into coverage and do my job to the full ability,” Leal said.

Although he has slimmed down, Leal is a bigger option than Herbig, who is listed at 240 pounds. Highsmith is a dependable run stopper, and, in his absence, the Steelers could rely on Leal to counter Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, a former NFL rushing champion.

“I’m going to bring myself,” Leal said. “As a defense, we’re going to continue to do our job, which is be the most violent and most locked-in group.”

Leal, admittedly, wasn’t locked in last year when he didn’t show the growth in his second NFL season that Tomlin anticipates from his young players. Leal fell out of favor and was inactive for four of the final five games of the regular season. He also didn’t dress for the wild-card playoff game at Buffalo.

In August, defensive line coach Karl Dunbar offered a harsh assessment of Leal’s preparation last year.

“He wasn’t in the right temperament,” Dunbar said. “He wouldn’t hit anybody. He didn’t know what he was doing. When you don’t know what you’re doing, you can’t hit people. This year, he’s come in and learned what we’re doing, and he’s taken on the attitude of the front (seven) that you want.”

Dunbar reminded that Leal was 21 and a junior at Texas A&M who declined to use extra seasons afforded by the pandemic when he entered the draft.

“It’s his attitude,” he said. “He’s always been an athletic guy. He’s more attentive in meetings, and his productivity is starting to show.”

Leal realized change was necessary if he was to justify the Steelers using a thirdround pick to select him.

“I came in with a different mentality,” he said. “Different weight, different body.”

Now, Leal will get a chance to put those changes on display whether it’s getting snaps at outside linebacker or filling in along the defensive line.

“This guy has had a good team development process,” Tomlin said. “I’m excited about what he’s going to do with increased opportunities just as much as I am that Herbig did with his.”