Oct 30, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Isaiahh Loudermilk (92) runs off the field at half-time against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Steelers Place Key DT on Injured Reserve

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Steelers on SI
By Jacob Punturi | Last updated Sep 17, 2025 12:00 PM ET

PITTSBURGH — The injuries continue to pile up for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Not only did they lose in disappointing fashion to the Seattle Seahawks in their home opener, they also lost one of their key veterans rotating along the defensive line.

The Steelers announced several roster moves ahead of their Week 3 matchup against the New England Patriots. One that stood out was the placement of defensive tackle Isaiahh Loudermilk on the Reserve/Injured List. The 27-year-old DL exited their Week 2 contest early, and has now been diagnosed with a high ankle sprain that should keep him out of action for at least the next four weeks.

Needing to add another defensive lineman or edge rusher to the defense, the team also elevated former third-round pick DeMarvin Leal to the 53-man roster.

We have made several roster moves. @BordasLaw

: https://t.co/y3PNmU5RPf pic.twitter.com/Fn8IK8TjAt
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) September 17, 2025

Loudermilk is in his fifth season in the NFL and with the Steelers, who selected him in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. The University of Wisconsin product has appeared in at least 11 games in every season of his career.

His most productive season was as a rookie in 2021. In 15 games, he recorded 23 total tackles, 16 of which were recorded individually. He also sacked the quarterback one and deflected three passes at the line of scrimmage.

Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Last year, he appeared in 16 games for the second straight year. He made a total of 17 tackles with one pass deflected at the line of scrimmage. He has not recorded a quarterback sack since his rookie year.

Without Loudermilk, the defensive line rotation is now down to Cam Heyward, Keeanu Benton, Yahya Black, Daniel Ekuale and Logan Lee. Benton and Heyward have each struggled to open the 2025 campaign, Black is a rookie, and Ekuale and Lee are meant to be depth pieces, not spot starters.

The team is also still missing 2025 first-round pick Derrick Harmon. His absence has been notable to begin the season, with the Steelers run defense looking absolutely putrid through two weeks. Now it takes another hit as the depth is pushed and tested even further early on.

In addition to the moves involves Loudermilk and Leal, the team also added three new players to the practice squad. The organization announced that they added linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley, receiver Isaiah Hodgins and tight end Matt Sokol to the practice group. In a corresponding move, they released JJ Galbreath and Rakim Jarrett from the practice squad.

This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Steelers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: