The San Francisco 49ers tried out a pair of former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive linemen on Tuesday, bringing Larry Ogunjobi and Daniel Ekuale in for workouts.
Ogunjobi, 32, was released by the Steelers in the 2025 offseason and spent last season with the Buffalo Bills . Before he got his time with the Bills started, Ogunjobi was hit with a six-game suspension for violating the league's performance-enhancing drug policy.
He returned from the suspension to play in 10 games with the Bills last season, recording 19 tackles, four tackles for loss and no sacks.
The Steelers released Ogunjobi in March 2025 in a moved that saved the team nearly $7 million in salary cap obligations.
Ogunjobi, had been with the Steelers since 2022. He played in 15 games and made 12 starts in 2024, recording 41 tackles, five tackles for loss, 1 1/2 sacks, and seven quarterback hits.
He first signed a one-year deal with the Steelers in 2022 before signing a three-year extension in 2023. Ogunjobi was the Steelers' nominee for the 2025 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award .
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Daniel Ekuale in a game against the New England Patriots on Sept. 21, 2025. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Ekuale, 32, spent the 2025 season with the Steelers. He had six tackles (four solo) and one pass defensed.
Unfortunately, he suffered a torn ACL in Week 8 against the Green Bay Packers and was placed on season-ending injured reserve.
Ekuale's 2025 season was already over, but he was later suspended for five games by the NFL for violating the league's performance-enhancing substances policy.
Ekuale began his professional career as an undrafted free agent out of the 2018 NFL Draft. He caught on with the Cleveland Browns , who he spent the first two years of his NFL career with, before joining the Jacksonville Jaguars (2020) and New England Patriots (2021-24).
He became a starter for the first time in 2024 with the Patriots before catching on with the Steelers, where he accepted a role as the team's backup nose tackle and No. 4 rotational defensive tackle.
After his injury, he was replaced by rookies Derrick Harmon and Yahya Black.
A native of Pago Pago, American Samoa, Ekuale played his collegiate ball at Washington State, where he racked up 71 tackles (41 solo), three sacks and two forced fumbles from 2014-17 after redshirting his true freshman season.
Aaron Becker contributed.
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