Steelers Now
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Daniel Ekuale has been suspended five games by the NFL for violating the league’s performance-enhancing substances policy, the league announced on Tuesday
Ekuale, 31, is in his first season with the Steelers, and has been on the injured reserve list since Oct. 31, after suffering a torn ACL in the team’s Week 8 loss to the Green Bay Packers. He is expected to miss the remainder of the 2025 season.
Ekuale’s suspension will be served while he is on the injured reserve list. It is an unpaid suspension that will cost him approximately $325,000 in salary over the next five weeks. His one-year contract with the Steelers will expire in March.
In seven games this season, he finished with six tackles, two tackles for loss, one quarterback hit and one pass defended.
Ekuale played for the Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars and New England Patriots in his first six NFL seasons, becoming a starter for the Patriots for the first time in 2024 before joining the Steelers, where he accepted a role as the team’s backup nose tackle and No. 4 rotational defensive tackle.
Since his injury, he has been replaced by rookie Yahya Black. Black is in line to start this week after fellow rookie defensive tackle Derrick Harmon was also ruled out with a knee injury. Esezi Otomewo, Brodric Martin and Logan Lee represent the team’s remaining defensive line depth.
Ekuale is the second Steelers defensive lineman to face a suspension for performance-enhancing substances this year. Former Steelers defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi was also suspended for the first six games of this season, after he was released by the Steelers in March and signed with the Buffalo Bills as a free agent.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Defensive Lineman Suspended for PED Violation
