Ahead of preparation for Week 3 against the New England Patriots, the Pittsburgh Steelers made a number of roster moves Wednesday.
Along with a couple of practice squad moves, the Steelers announced they’ve signed OLB DeMarvin Leal to the active roster from the practice squad and placed defensive end Isaiahh Loudermilk on Injured Reserve. On the practice squad, the Steelers signed the likes of LB Ja’Whaun Bentley, WR Isaiah Hodgins and TE Matt Sokol, and released WR Rakim Jarrett and TE JJ Galbreath.
Leal was previously cut on August 26 as part of final roster cuts. He then was signed to the practice squad, where he’s remained through the first two weeks of the season.
Coming into his fourth season in the NFL after missing much of his third season with a neck injury, Leal added weight and was playing more outside linebacker, providing flexibility for the Steelers defensively. But he found himself in a deep OLB room with the likes of T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Nick Herbig and rookie Jack Sawyer, making him an odd man out with little special teams abilities.
The injury to Alex Highsmith, along with the injury to Loudermilk, in Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks created the need for some additional depth and pass rush juice off the edge, leading to Leal being signed to the active roster.
Loudermilk went down early in the Week 2 loss to the Seahawks with an ankle injury, and head coach Mike Tomlin stated Tuesday that it was a more significant injury to his ankle, which would keep him out a bit.
“[Isaiahh] Loudermilk will be out,” Tomlin said Tuesday. “He has a high-ankle sprain. That could be described as weeks. Alex Highsmith, he has a lesser significant but at the same time he has an ankle sprain as well. He can be characterized as out as well.”
According to reporters after the game Sunday, he was spotted post-game on crutches and in a walking boot on his right foot. Loudermilk was in the starting in place of injured first-round rookie Derrick Harmon, who missed the first two games due to an MCL sprain suffered in the preseason.
In two games this season, Loudermilk played 37 snaps and had yet to generate anything in the stats sheet. With Loudermilk now on IR, rookie fifth-round pick Yahya Black is in line to start against the Patriots.
With Loudermilk down and Highsmith out for at least Week 3, the Steelers needed to make a move along the defensive front. Signing Leal to the active roster makes sense. He’s played up and down the line of scrimmage during his time in the NFL, and has added outside linebacker responsibilities to his resume.
In the preseason, Leal generated five pressures, including three in the preseason finale against the Carolina Panthers, so there’s some pass rush juice there with the former third-round pick.
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