Will the right side of the Steelers’ offensive line be a weakness this year?
It seems the Steelers are set to shift the right side of their offensive line to the left. But where does that leave the spots they’re vacating? It makes sense, I’m sure, to move Troy Fautanu and Mason McCormick over, and they have a long history there. But that just means the questions they had at left tackle and guard they now have on the right side.
In actuality, the Steelers only lost one starter from the offensive line, Isaac Seumalo, who left in free agency. He vacated the left guard position, but the Steelers now seem to be searching for a right guard. While they have accumulated candidates, none of them are proven commodities.
Spencer Anderson has been part of the Steelers’ offensive line as long as anybody currently there, going into his fourth season. But while he has made some starts, he has been a career backup. They signed veteran Brock Hoffman in free agency, who is also a career backup. Added to the mix is third-round draft pick Gennings Dunker, who played tackle at the college level.
Arguably, they have better options for the right tackle position, potentially including Broderick Jones. A three-year starter on the Steelers’ offensive line when healthy, it is unknown when he will be cleared to return from his neck injury. And when he does, they won’t hand him a starting job.
This spring, Dylan Cook has worked with the Steelers’ offensive line with the first-team offense. He filled in at left tackle after Jones went down with a neck injury, but he can play right tackle as well. Still, on paper, he would be a fallback option, not your chosen starter.
Presumably, the Steelers felt the same way, using another first-round pick on the offensive line. Max Iheanachor adds another tackle to the mix, but there are questions about his readiness. He does have a decent amount of college starting experience at right tackle, but he hasn’t played football for long.
If the Steelers have two less-than-proven starters on the right side of their offensive line, will it come back to haunt them? They don’t have much choice, the exception being if Broderick Jones is able to play. Otherwise, they have to make do with what they have.
The Steelers have a long road ahead of them under Mike McCarthy, along with his cadre of quarterbacks.With seven consecutive postseason losses and no wins in nearly a decade, they are under fire for their repeated playoff failures. While we have seen many changes, none could dream of topping Mike Tomlin’s resignation.
We’re already deep into the offseason, with free agency and the draft already reshaping rosters. The Steelers, of course, are used to early-offseason mode, as a team thatloses by the middle of January all the time. Enjoy the ride, even the turbulence, because it’s the only way we know how to travel anymore.
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