Now in his fourth season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, DL DeMarvin Leal hasn’t flashed the way the Steelers expected. Given no clear position his rookie season, playing both outside linebacker and defensive line, followed by struggles and injuries over the last two years, Leal entered training camp firmly on the roster bubble. Primarily playing outside linebacker this offseason, [Leal had an up-and-down preseason](https://steelersdepot.com/2025/08/steelers-vs-panthers-winners-and-losers-5/), showing off some of the athleticism that made him a third-round pick but also struggling at times, including getting an offsides penalty on the very first defensive snap of the team’s preseason finale.
It’s been widely assumed that Leal won’t crack Pittsburgh’s 53-man roster with final roster cuts coming tomorrow, but appearing [on the DVE Morning Show](https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1019-randy-baumann-and-the-dve-25637964/episode/82525-randy-baumann-and-the-dve-290703899/), Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said don’t be surprised if Leal makes the team.
“DeMarvin Leal, when you look at the numbers, I don’t know where he fits, but I will tell you that Mike Tomlin likes him, and as long as Derrick Harmon is injured, that gives them an opportunity to have an extra body,” Dulac said Monday. “If I had to guess, I would say he’s gonna make it because Tomlin likes him. But if he doesn’t make it, don’t be shocked.”
Dulac said that Leal being a tweener who hasn’t played a lot of defensive line this preseason coupled with the team potentially opting for someone who has more special teams value could work against him. But an endorsement from Tomlin could certainly help Leal make the roster, especially with the Steelers down a defensive lineman in Harmon and OLB Nick Herbig still dealing with a hamstring injury.
Leal’s versatility could enhance his roster chances, but the issue is he hasn’t really proven to be consistently good at either position. Given that, as Dulac noted, Leal hasn’t played a ton of defensive line, playing more outside linebacker during training camp, it doesn’t necessarily make sense to keep him as that extra defensive lineman with Harmon’s injury.
But he does at least have experience, starting on the defensive line in 2023 when Cam Heyward suffered an injury Week 1. If Tomlin really thinks that he can get some use out of him and that Leal would be a better option than a player like Logan Lee or Esezi Otomewo on the defensive line, then he’ll have a roster spot come tomorrow.
It’s just hard to see him making it as one of the final players with limited special teams value. Now in his fourth NFL season, it’s also hard to make the argument that he still has upside due to his traits. While he has been plagued by injuries and moved around a lot, if he hasn’t put it all together now, it’s probably not happening for him in Pittsburgh.
There’s a chance he could be a short-term option until Harmon returns, but it feels like the Tomlin endorsement would have to be really strong for Leal to make the initial 53.