The Pittsburgh Steelers entered August with enough defensive linemen to require a seating chart. A sixth-round rookie who once looked like one of the easiest names to squeeze onto the practice squad has spent the past month making that plan considerably less convenient. Insider Mike DeFabo now believes Pittsburgh should keep the kid and let two experienced options deal with the consequences.
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Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Gabriel Rubio prior to a 2026 training camp practice at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
Gabriel Rubio has gone from overlooked draft pick to legitimate 53-man favorite in DeFabo's projection. Pittsburgh selected the 6-foot-5, 321-pound Notre Dame product 210th overall in April after an injury-shortened final college season, dropping him into a defensive front that already appeared overcrowded before he unpacked his locker. The path looked narrow enough that simply reaching the practice squad seemed reasonable.
Rubio apparently did not receive the memo about waiting his turn. His combination of strength, length and positional flexibility has translated faster than expected, and Pittsburgh's current depth chart lists him second at defensive end. Veteran Dean Lowry sits third at defensive tackle, while Esezi Otomewo is third at nose tackle. Those labels do not lock anybody into one technique, but they show how crowded the fight has become.
During a recent roster discussion, DeFabo chose Rubio when forced to pick between the three.
“I am keeping Gabe Rubio… He has strength. He has some versatility to play the nose in the base defense. He can play the three-technique in the sub packages. And I think that he’s been good… Of those three guys that we just mentioned, you can only keep one, and I would keep Gabriel Rubio,” DeFabo said.
That versatility is doing plenty of heavy lifting in Rubio's roster case. Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham praised the rookie's ability to defeat blocks shortly after the draft and specifically pointed toward finding multiple roles for his unusually large frame. A 321-pound defender who can survive over the nose on early downs and slide elsewhere when Pittsburgh changes packages gives the coaching staff more options without requiring another enormous human to dress on Sunday.
The rookie has supplied production behind the flexibility. Rubio recorded six tackles in Pittsburgh's preseason opener despite seeing frequent double teams, immediately putting himself into the conversation for one of the final spots along the defensive front. He followed with another tackle in the second exhibition against New York. The stat sheet is hardly Aaron Donald fan fiction, but that is not the assignment Pittsburgh drafted him to complete.
Rubio wins his roster argument by occupying blockers, holding his ground and making life easier for the linebackers behind him. His surprisingly messy roster push started becoming apparent early in camp, when his pad level and hand usage were already drawing positive attention. The exhibition schedule has only provided more evidence that his game can survive once the controlled practice rules disappear.
Lowry makes this far from an automatic decision. The 32-year-old has 132 regular-season appearances and 85 starts on his NFL résumé, and Pittsburgh brought him back on a one-year deal after a torn ACL wiped out his entire 2025 campaign. He also earned strong praise from Cameron Heyward earlier in camp for his hands, block control and ability to keep appearing around the football.
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Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Dean Lowry (98) during 2026 training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
Otomewo has his own argument. He appeared in 12 games for the Black and Gold last season, recording nine tackles and a sack before re-signing on a one-year contract in March. His 6-foot-5 frame and experience across multiple fronts helped him survive an equally uncomfortable roster battle in 2025. Pittsburgh already knows he can function as rotational depth, which is usually worth something when the league begins testing how many defensive linemen one roster can injure before Thanksgiving.
Rubio carries something neither veteran can replicate: four years of inexpensive contractual control and significantly more developmental runway. Lowry is entering his 11th season. Otomewo is 27 and playing on another short-term deal. If the performances are close, keeping the rookie allows Pittsburgh to preserve a player who could improve alongside a young defensive core rather than choosing only for September.
The equation gets tighter because the established portion of the defensive front already consumes several roster spots. Official Steelers analysis after the opener identified Rubio as a candidate to become the sixth lineman kept, meaning the final vacancy may genuinely come down to which reserve offers the best combination of immediate usefulness and future value.
Steelers May Let The Rookie Make A Ruthless Numbers Decision
DeFabo's projection should not be confused with Pittsburgh having made its final cuts. Lowry, Otomewo and Rubio still have the preseason finale to strengthen their cases, and one injury elsewhere could change how many bodies the Steelers decide to carry up front.
The fascinating part is how completely Rubio has reversed the discussion. In July, being a sixth-round selection inside one of Pittsburgh's deepest groups looked like a disadvantage. By late August, his youth is becoming part of the reason DeFabo would keep him.
Lowry provides experience. Otomewo has already survived this exact type of August squeeze. Rubio offers strength, multiple alignments and a developmental curve that appears to be moving faster than anyone expected.
There may only be one chair left when the music stops. DeFabo thinks the rookie should be sitting in it.
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