On a quiet weekend of free agency for the Pittsburgh Steelers, they made a free agent addition Sunday night, agreeing to terms on a contract with defensive lineman Daniel Ekuale, his agent reported in a social media post.
Ekuale turned 31 in January and spent the past four seasons with the New England Patriots. A 6-foot-3, 310-pound lineman, Ekuale didn’t become a full-time starter until last season, when he started 16 games for New England.
Congrats to these two dudes. Bringing some juice to a D Line near you. You boys deserve it, @steelers and @Commanders got better again today!
Congrats Dan and J. Let’s do this pic.twitter.com/qqLiPqGWxo
— Blake Baratz (@blakebaratz) March 17, 2025
Ekuale had one sack, two tackles for loss and 52 total tackles in his final season with the Patriots. Until 2024, he had made five starts in five seasons, all coming in 2020 with Jacksonville.
Ekuale appeared in seven games with the Cleveland Browns in 2019 and nine with the Jaguars in 2020 before landing in New England. He had a $1.68 million salary cap hit last season and had a $1.24 million base salary.
Ekuale likely will provide some depth on the interior of the defensive line after the Steelers released veteran Larry Ogunjobi last week.
Joe Rutter is a TribLive reporter who has covered the Pittsburgh Steelers since the 2016 season. A graduate of Greensburg Salem High School and Point Park, he is in his fifth decade covering sports for the Trib. He can be reached at [email protected].
