Steelers rookie defensive lineman DeMarvin Leal awaits return from injured reserve

DeMarvin Leal doesn’t know exactly how he injured his knee in Week 5 against the Buffalo Bills. He just knows it continued to bother him the next two times he practiced, and the result was an unexpected trip to injured reserve.

One day after returning to practice, the Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman is ready to resume his rookie season even if he may have to wait a few more weeks for that to happen.

The Steelers don’t need to activate Leal until the days leading up to the Dec. 11 game against Baltimore, and history in dealing with rookie players suggests they will take their time.

“I feel like they need to see me constantly go through my reps and not be tired and be able to ball out and be myself completely on the field,” Leal said Thursday.

The third-round pick from Texas A&M played in the first five games of the season before his injury, and he started the game in Buffalo when he was injured. It came a week after he totaled a career-high four tackles and had a tackle for loss against the New York Jets.

Leal played 41% of the defensive snaps against the Bills and was looking forward to an increased workload on the defensive line. But his knee didn’t cooperate.

“I didn’t know what was happening,” he said. “I was getting treatment, practicing, getting treatment, practicing. Then it was time to really get it checked out.”

It turned out to be a meniscus tear that Leal had trimmed instead of repaired. That afforded him the chance to return to the Steelers in the second half of the season.

“I’ll stick to the plan that everybody has in place for me and keep working,” Leal said. “I’m ready to do whatever it is.”