The Pittsburgh Steelers have waived DE DeMarvin Leal, the team announced on X.
He was already cut by the Steelers once this year at roster cutdowns in August, but quickly circled back to the practice squad. He was activated after some injuries in the DL room on Sept. 17.
Leal was drafted in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft, but never lived up to expectations. He dealt with a season-ending injury in 2024 and has barely been clinging to his roster spot this year. He was active against the Indianapolis Colts, but had been inactive for the prior three weeks.
In all, Leal has gotten a helmet in three games this season. He registered just 17 defensive snaps and nine on special teams.
Pittsburgh never quite figured out how to maximize Leal’s talents, and his development was minimal. He bounced back and forth between defensive lineman and outside linebacker, but his body type was never quite suitable for either spot. His athleticism remains—it was on full display at 2025 training camp—but that never translated onto the field.
Leal will have to clear waivers, but once he does, he is free to sign with any team in the league. It’s possible he could rejoin the Steelers’ practice squad, but they’d have to create room.
If his time in Pittsburgh is done, he will have played 31 games as a Steeler. Six were starts, and he notched 35 total tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, and four passes defensed. It wasn’t what the Steelers had in mind when they made him their third-round pick. Some reports indicate they quickly realized he was a bigger project than anticipated after selecting him.
The Steelers are down to 52 players on their active roster with Cory Trice Jr. and Will Howard in their 21-day practice windows to potentially return from IR. It’s possible Howard could get activated on Saturday as the team’s emergency third quarterback. They are also reportedly set to host CB Asante Samuel Jr. in the coming week as another possibility to fill that spot.