90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Christian Kuntz, DeMarvin Leal, Logan Lee

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2024 offseason workouts ended in mid-June. Next up is the team’s annual training camp, which begins at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe in late July. Leading up to the Steelers’ training camp, we’ll be doing a series of posts looking at the team’s offseason roster, three players at a time. This Steelers roster preview, which also includes projections for each player, will be sorted alphabetically by last name for easy followability. This series is expected to include more than 90 players this year, as the team will be able to bring 91 total players with them during the offseason due to the team’s international designation being allowed.

The next players we will feature before the Steelers’ 2024 training camp are Christian Kuntz, DeMarvin Leal and Logan Lee.

LS Christian Kuntz: Kuntz is back with the Steelers after re-signing with the team in March. Kuntz’s new contract is for three years, with $325,000 in guaranteed compensation in the first year only.

Kuntz has been the Steelers’ long snapper for the past three seasons, and in 2023 he played 150 special teams snaps during the regular season. He also recorded four special teams tackles in 2023.

Outlook: Unless something unforeseen happens this summer, Kuntz should be the Steelers’ long snapper again in the 2024 season. The Duquesne product is quite reliable when it comes to his snap accuracy on punts and kick attempts, and he also set a career-high in special teams tackles last season.

Kuntz will get a new punter and holder in 2024 in Cameron Johnston, but the two should have plenty of time to get used to each other over the rest of the summer. Kuntz is 30 years old now, so he probably has at least a couple more seasons left in him.

We hope we don’t talk much about Kuntz once the 2024 regular season begins. If we do talk about him, it will probably be because of a slip-up on his part during a game. Slip-ups like that could cost the Steelers a game.

DL DeMarvin Leal: Leal was selected in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Texas A&M and has not lived up to his selection in his first two NFL seasons. As a rookie, Leal was able to accumulate some important playing time. However, he had to play various positions on defense, some of them even as a quasi-outside linebacker. Leal also missed valuable time as a rookie in 2022 due to a knee injury.

In 2023, Leal played 206 defensive snaps, which was more than he played in 2022 as a rookie. Most of those snaps came in more traditional spots on the defensive line that he should be familiar with. Still, Leal’s overall play on defense wasn’t very encouraging. The coaching staff obviously felt the same way, as he was an inactive player in four of the team’s final five regular season games. He was also inactive for the Steelers’ only playoff game last season.

Leal played 22 special teams snaps in 2023, most of them as a member of the kick-blocking unit. He finished the 2023 regular season with 15 total tackles, two for loss, one sack, one pass defensed and two quarterback hits.

Outlook: The rest of this summer is of great importance for Leal, as he certainly isn’t guaranteed a spot on the 53-man roster when the 2024 regular season begins. He’ll need to start living up to his status as a third-round pick throughout training camp and the preseason, showing he can be a reliable player on the defensive line. Several of those defensive line spots are likely already taken: Cameron Heyward, Larry Ogunjobi, Keeanu Benton, Dean Lowry and Montravius ​​Adams. That would put Leal in a position to potentially compete for an open roster spot if only six defensive linemen are ultimately retained. Even if two hypothetical defensive line spots are up for grabs, Leal isn’t a surefire candidate for any of them.

If Leal lives up to expectations this summer and ultimately secures a spot on the 53-man roster, his playing time in the 2024 regular season, barring injuries, should again be very limited. He would also be a candidate for weekly game-day inactivity if the players ahead of him on the defensive line are healthy.

Of all the third-year players on the Steelers’ offseason roster before training camp begins, Leal may be the one with the most at stake. At the very least, he’ll be a player to watch closely once practices begin in Latrobe. It’s time for him to develop into a reliable backup defensive lineman. If he doesn’t, he could be shipped off at the start of the 2024 regular season in hopes that he’s done enough to make the practice squad.

DE Logan Lee: The Steelers selected Lee in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft out of Iowa, and he comes to Pittsburgh after recording 158 total tackles, 18.5 for loss, nine sacks, seven passes defensed and two fumble recoveries in his four college seasons. He recorded a total of 1,840 defensive snaps in those four seasons at Iowa, playing mostly on the right side of the defensive line.

At the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, Lee weighs 6,053 pounds, stands 281 pounds, has 32 1/4-inch arms and 10 1/4-inch hands. He completed 25 reps on the bench and ran his 40-yard dash in 5.05 seconds and his 20-yard shuttle in 4.37 seconds. As part of the 2024 pre-draft process, Lee was invited to participate in the annual East-West Shrine Bowl.

Outlook: While Lee has most of the dimensions the Steelers look for in their defensive linemen, his college records show he still lacks strength and stability. His play at Iowa, while very good at times, was inconsistent overall. He was better against the run than as a pass rusher, but he has developed enough in this phase of his game to make him worth a draft pick.

Lee’s first goal over the summer is to make the 53-man roster after training camp and the preseason. However, that will be a difficult task due to the strength of the defensive players in numbers. The Steelers will keep at most seven defensive players on their 53-man roster and some of those spots are already taken. Leal could be one player Lee has to beat out in the fight for a spot on the roster. Isaiahh Loudermilk may be another.

All in all, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if Lee doesn’t make the 53-man roster by the start of the 2024 regular season. It might be more realistic for Lee to begin the regular season on the Steelers’ practice squad, as he still has a lot of development to do as a rookie. He still has a good chance of making the 53-man roster.

Previous posts in this series:

90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview series – Montravius ​​Adams, Kyle Allen, Spencer Anderson
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Grayland Arnold, Calvin Austin III, Anthony Averett
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Kalon Barnes, Tyler Beach, Keeanu Benton
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Beanie Bishop Jr., Chris Boswell, Marquez Callaway
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Jack Colletto, Dylan Cook, Jacob Copeland
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview series – James Daniels, Daijun Edwards, DeShon Elliott
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Jalen Elliott, Troy Fautanu, Breiden Fehoko
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Justin Fields, Joey Fisher, Dez Fitzpatrick
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Minkah Fitzpatrick, Zach Frazier, Pat Freiermuth
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Thomas Graham Jr., Devery Hamilton, Anderson Hardy
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview series – Najee Harris, Nate Herbig, Nick Herbig
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Cameron Heyward, Connor Heyward, Alex Highsmith
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Cole Holcomb, Donte Jackson, Van Jefferson
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Jaray Jenkins, Kyron Johnson, Cameron Johnston
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Broderick Jones, Damontae Kazee, Miles Killebrew