Another interior defensive linemen for the Pittsburgh Steelers is dealing with an injury.
On their first injury report ahead of a Week 6 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Steelers listed Keeanu Benton as a non-participant with an ankle injury.
Cornerback Jalen Ramsey (wrist), wide receivers Roman Wilson (finger) and Ben Skowronek (calf) and defensive tackle Cameron Heyward (NIR/Rest) all didn't practice as well.
Running back Rico Dowdle (toe), cornerback Jamel Dean (ankle), safety DeShon Elliott (knee) and EDGE rusher T.J. Watt (NIR/Rest) were all limited participants.
Elliott is still in his 21-day practice window, which was opened last week, while remaining on the reserve/injured list.
Benton's 2026 Season So Far
After watching Nick Herbig (four years, $100 million) and Darnell Washington (four years, $42 million) sign their extensions in early June, Benton had to wait until mid-August to get his own new deal from Pittsburgh.
When the time came, the 2023 second-round pick inked a four-year contract worth $72 million after recording a career-high 5.5 sacks in 2025.
The Steelers' new coaching staff has made it a point to move Benton around the defensive line more instead of having him primarily serve as a nose tackle, which was largely targeted at granting him more opportunities to get after the quarterback.
Benton has not posted a sack through five games up to this point while playing 190 defensive snaps, though, and he has seven pressures (per Pro Football Focus).
Steelers Already Short on D-Line
It's too early to know whether or not Benton is in danger of missing Pittsburgh's bout with Tampa Bay this week.
Considering the Steelers are already down a key piece along the interior of their defensive line in Derrick Harmon, however, they could really use Benton vs. the Buccaneers.
Harmon was placed on IR last week with a foot injury he suffered in Pittsburgh's Week 4 loss at the hands of the Cleveland Browns.
He missed the Steelers' win over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 5 as a result, and he'll be out for a minimum of three more games as well.
Harmon's absence led to rookie sixth-round pick Gabriel Rubio being active for the first time this season vs. Indianapolis, however, and he flashed some really promising signs as a run defender while recording three assists on tackles over 14 defensive reps.
Rubio's snap count will likely rise if Benton can't suit up against Tampa Bay, and undrafted rookie Kevin Jobity Jr. could make his NFL debut as well after being inactive for each of the first five weeks of the campaign.
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