Steelers Now
Former Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker and defensive lineman DeMarvin Leal has signed a reserve/future contract with the New York Giants, according to the NFL transactions page for Thursday.
That ends the tenure of Leal, the team’s third-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, with the club that drafted him.
Leal had spent most of the 2025 season on the Steelers’ practice squad. He was released from the practice squad on Monday, Jan. 12, ahead of the team’s Wild Card loss to the Houston Texans.
Leal had been released from the roster and cleared waivers twice this season, joining the practice squad both times. Leal was first waived in August, clearing as the team made its final cuts to a 53-man roster at the end of the preseason in August.
Leal joined the Steelers practice squad, and was recalled to the active roster on Sept. 17 after an injuries to Alex Highsmith and Malik Harrison. Leal played in three games for the Steelers, recording two tackles. He played on 17 snaps of defense and nine snaps of special teams.
He was again released from the 53-man roster on Nov. 6 and cleared waivers, and re-joined the practice squad. Leal was elevated from the practice squad once, playing against the Miami Dolphins on Dec. 15. He appeared on three snaps of defense and one on specail teams.
Leal, 25, did not live up to the billing of his draft selection with the Steelers, thanks to a combination of injuries and an awkward fit in the Pittsburgh defensive scheme.
The Steelers bounced Leal back and forth between defensive tackle and outside linebacker over his three seasons in Pittsburgh. A neck injury limited him to just five games played in 2024.
On the other side of that injury, the Steelers committed to playing Leal at outside linebacker for the 2025 season. But they also drafted Jack Sawyer in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, pushing Leal to the fifth spot on the depth chart.
Leal got a long look for the Steelers in the preseason, with T.J. Watt not participating and Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig both dealing with injuries. Despite 104 defensive snaps over four games, he was able to amass just five tackles, no sacks and five quarterback pressures.
The 6-foot-4, 290-pounder was once considered a potential first-round pick option before falling to the Steelers in the third-round.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers 3rd-Round Draft Pick Signs Elsewhere after Release
