The Pittsburgh Steelers have placed a significant emphasis on rebuilding the defensive line room in recent years. Through the first week and a half of training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, that rebuild up front is starting to show its potential.

Second-year pros Yahya Black and Derrick Harmon continue to receive a ton of praise from teammates and coaches, while veteran Keeanu Benton is stepping into a new role that will benefit him better long-term.

Depth is in a great spot, too, with veterans like Sebastian Joseph-Day, Dean Lowry and Esezi Otomewo bringing a ton of experience. And you can’t forget about the future Hall of Famer Cam Heyward, either.

That depth has new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham thrilled with what he has to work with in the trenches.

“That came from how Omar [Khan] and their staff put together the roster. We have a lot of options,” Graham said of the defensive line room, according to video via the team’s site. “Again, the profile they’ve established here and haven’t really strayed from it, I applaud them, because I know myself when I started, ‘Oh, it’s a passing league, passing league.’ And we start getting smaller and smaller, different places I’ve been. I love the fact that they stay with the profile. It shows discipline in the organization. That’s why they win all the time, and that’s why I’m happy to be here. But in terms of the depth, it starts there. And now as they compete, you really see them bringing out the best in one another.

“And it’s hard to compete in that room, because you have quality guys who — I don’t wanna give away a number — but there’s gonna be a lot of guys from that room that are gonna be playing NFL football,” Graham added.

Just a few short years ago, the Steelers were a mess along the defensive line. Stephon Tuitt’s unexpected retirement hurt, as did losing Javon Hargrave in a salary cap crunch. The free agent signing of Larry Ogunjobi didn’t quite work out, and the drafting of DeMarvin Leal was largely a bust as a ‘tweener.

Since then, the Steelers have focused heavily on the defensive line. Things now look much better. Landing Harmon in the first round last year and Black in the fifth was quite a haul. Moving Benton off nose tackle where he wasn’t best suited was a nice move this summer, too.

You can’t overlook the signing of Joseph-Day, either. He’s able to play up and down the line of scrimmage and brings another veteran presence to the room. Lowry has experience with Graham and first-year head coach Mike McCarthy, while Otomewo was a serviceable depth piece down the stretch last season.

It’s a good room overall, and Graham really enjoys the combination of pieces there.

“It’s really impressive how they put together the roster. I love how they compete. It’s a pleasure to be in the meetings with them and how they talk to one another,” Graham said of the defensive line room. “Cam does a great job of being a good leader, but then the funny thing is, Cam, obviously, with experience being a leader, but you hear the other guys in the room talking. You have Dean in there. Dean’s played a lot of football. Sebastian’s played a lot of football. Harmon, even though he’s second year, he played a lot of football.

“It’s fun to be in that room and hear them talk football.”

The sounds coming out of the defensive line room with all those voices must be music to the ears of the coaching staff. Fans should be thrilled, too. After a number of years watching the defensive line room be propped up by a dominant Heyward with no real help, Pittsburgh’s defensive line appears poised for a monster season in 2026.

All those investments in the trenches are starting to pay off.