The Pittsburgh Steelers have a nice group of young, up-and-coming offensive linemen in Zach Frazier, Mason McCormick, and Troy Fautanu. However, that unit still has some holes, especially at left guard. Isaac Seumalo held down that spot down for three years, but he left Pittsburgh in free agency. That’s led to some speculation that the Steelers could spend a high draft to replace him. However, former Steelers offensive lineman Trai Essex brought up an in-house option to fill the void at left guard.
“Are they looking at Spencer Anderson?” Essex asked recently on his Snap Count podcast. “Do they have faith that he can come in and elevate his play even more so than what he did last year? Last year he was a Swiss-army knife. He came in and did a good job in Arthur Smith’s offense, of being that dependable extra tight end.
“Do they have faith that he can be a starter or are they gonna pigeonhole him into that Swiss-army knife-type role? As somebody who came in and wanted to be a starter but ended up becoming that person that played multiple positions because the team needed it and you wanted to make yourself valuable, it can go either way. I know Spencer wants that starting job in the worst way.”
The Steelers spent a seventh-round pick on Anderson in the 2023 draft, and he’s developed nicely since then. While he’s mostly served as a backup, injuries have forced him to start at times. He’s held his own in those appearances, too.
Anderson has been moved all around the offensive line, but he’s settled in nicely at guard. He did some of his best work last year in the Steelers’ jumbo package, helping spark their run game.
Now, going into the last year of his contract, Anderson is surely hoping to increase his role. He’s stepped up when Seumalo has been out with injuries in the past. Perhaps he gets a long look at earning the full-time starting left guard job.
His competition at the moment is Brock Hoffman, who is cut from a similar cloth as Anderson. He’s also mostly been a backup, logging some starting time when called upon. However, he might have a slight leg up on Anderson because of his experience with Mike McCarthy. Hoffman spent the first three years of his career playing for McCarthy’s Dallas Cowboys.
The Steelers could still draft a guard high, too. There are a few candidates who could be in their range. That would make it harder for Anderson to get the starting role. We’ll see if he can continue progressing with a new coaching staff in place. He was on an upward trajectory before, and if he can continue that, he could get a nice payday next offseason.
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