from the team. Pittsburgh Steelers On August 21, 2014, during a pre-season game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Villanueva was spotted by Steelers' head coach Mike Tomlin, who was impressed with his size and athleticism. Eight days after he was waived by the Philadelphia Eagles, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed him to their practice squad on August 31, 2014. Upon joining his new team, he was immediately changed from a defensive end to an offensive tackle, as it was thought to better suit him. As a defensive end for the Eagles, Villanueva weighed 250 lb. Within a year of becoming an offensive tackle, he rose up to 340 lb. Throughout the 2014 season, Villanueva was kept on the practice squad to learn the position, put on more weight, and develop his abilities. 2015 On January 6, 2015, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed him to a two-year, $960,000 reserve/futures contract. He was able to get reps in training camp and preseason as the second-team swing tackle, after Mike Adams suffered an injury. With Adams unable to recover before the regular season, Villanueva was slated as the Steelers' swing tackle to begin the 2015 season. He made his debut during the 2015 season opener against the New England Patriots, playing five snaps as an extra tackle on goal-line plays. He also appeared on special teams and played a few plays at tight end during this period. On October 18, 2015, Villanueva received his first opportunity at left tackle against the Arizona Cardinals after starting left tackle Kelvin Beachum left the game with a torn ACL. The following week, Villanueva received his first career start at offensive tackle since his sophomore year at Army in 2008 and was tasked with blocking Kansas City Chiefs Pro-Bowl defensive end, Tamba Hali. He allowed a strip sack in the fourth quarter, which aided the Chiefs in defeating the Steelers. With Beachum out for the remainder of the season, Villanueva continued to play left tackle and started the last 12 games of the Steelers' season, including two playoffs games. In his first season as a starter, he was ranked the 48th best offensive tackle by Pro Football Focus with an overall grade of 47.5. He surrendered 39 pressures on 459 pass blocking snaps and ranked as the 11th-worst offensive tackle in pass blocking efficiency with a grade of 93.2 by PFF. 2016 Villanueva was named the starting left tackle position