Pittsburgh isn't messing around with its 2023 draft class. Keeanu Benton has agreed to a 4-year, $72 million extension with the Steelers, per Ian Rapoport, locking up their interior defensive line for the foreseeable future.
That's an $18 million annual average, and it makes Benton the highest-paid defensive lineman in Steelers history. Not bad for a guy who fell to the second round in 2023 and spent his rookie year working his way into the starting lineup.
Benton broke out last season with career highs across the board: 5.5 sacks and 51 tackles. He'd been playing nose tackle under the old coaching staff, but under new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham he's expected to slide into a defensive end role that should let him get after the quarterback even more.
This is also a bigger-picture move for Pittsburgh. Benton is now the 3rd member of that 2023 second-round class to cash in this offseason, joining outside linebacker Nick Herbig and tight end Darnell Washington. The Steelers clearly identified that draft class as the core of their next contending window and are paying to keep it together.
The one name still missing from that list is cornerback Joey Porter Jr., the other 2023 second-rounder, who's reportedly in line for his own extension but has been sidelined from training camp with a back injury. If Pittsburgh gets that one done too, they'll have effectively run it back on the entire class before any of them hit free agency.
For a franchise that's leaned on defense to stay relevant through some shaky quarterback years, locking up a 25-year-old building block in the trenches is about as low-risk as a $72 million bet gets.