Injured Pittsburgh Steelers pass rusher reveals he underwent surgery

Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman DeMarvin Leal, who went on injured reserve with a neck injury suffered against the Dallas Cowboys, revealed he had surgery six weeks ago on X.

During the post, Leal revealed that he had surgery six weeks ago. While it is presumed that the surgery was to fix the neck injury, that is not confirmed. Leal is out for the season, but the team hopes to have him back next year. They traded for Preston Smith to help fill the void left behind by Leal.

A former third-round pick out of Texas A&M, Steelers coaches praised Leal as finally having a breakout summer, and it felt like he was starting to turn the corner. He could play inside or outside, and Smith was the replacement for that at the trade deadline.

For the first time this season, the Steelers will have all four healthy outside linebackers. Leal hopes to rehab and come back in 2025 with a strong performance to reclaim his spot in the rotation.