Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Troy Fautanu (76) and guard Mason McCormick (66) prepare to block during an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns in Pittsburgh Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025.
The Steelers enjoyed one of their best eras of offensive football in franchise history from from 2014-18.
With Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell in their prime years, the Steelers consistently ranked among the NFL’s top-scoring teams and made the playoffs four times in that five-year stretch.
None of it happens if former general manager Kevin Colbert doesn’t make heavy investments in the offensive line in the years leading up to that renaissance.
Colbert drafted center Maurkice Pouncey in the first round in 2010 and guard David DeCastro in the first round two years later. Tackle Marcus Gilbert arrived in the second round in 2011. Together, they formed the nucleus of a blocking unit that allowed Roethlisberger to flourish with the other Killer B’s.
Steelers linebacker Payton Wilson, left, is learning a lot from Patrick Queen.
Pouncey and DeCastro were twice named first-team All-Pro, while Gilbert started 87 games over his eight seasons at right tackle.
Omar Khan has done something similar since taking over for Colbert in the summer of 2022.
He selected tackles Broderick Jones, Troy Fautanu and Max Iheanachor in the first round and chose center Zach Frazier in the second.
The Steelers are one of only six teams this century to select three offensive linemen in the first round over a four-year span.
So, it’s an uncommon approach to roster construction, but Khan’s plan from the beginning of his tenure has been to build from the inside out.
“It’s very important,” coach Mike McCarthy said this week. “I’ve always adhered to the statistics of how many consecutive starts that you have with your offensive line equates to winning. [It] has for decades in our league.”
The Steelers are building toward that.
Steelers wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. pulls in a ball during training camp at Saint Vincent College, Thursday, July 30, 2026, in Latrobe.
Frazier and Mason McCormick have been starters since their rookie seasons in 2024. Fautanu, who missed most of his rookie year with a knee injury, has started 18 games. All three are members of a highly-touted 2024 draft class, with McCormick coming in the fourth round.
The Cowboys did something similar earlier this decade when McCarthy was their coach. They also selected three linemen in the first round in a four-year stretch, taking the three Tylers — Tyler Smith, Tyler Guyton and Tyler Booker — in 2022, 2024 and 2025. Smith already has been named to the Pro Bowl three times.
None of the Steelers’ top picks have ascended to Pro Bowl or All-Pro status yet, but they know the pressure is on to provide a return on the investment the team has made.
“Having Max come in here puts a lot of pressure on us to get better,” Fautanu said, “not only to get better ourselves but to bring the rest of the room up. He’s been like a sponge, soaking up all the knowledge and asking the right questions.
“You go and draft guys high and you expect something back. You can call it pressure, but we put more pressure on ourselves than we feel it from others.”
Fautanu and McCormick are moving to the left side of the line this summer and giving the Steelers a strong pairing next to Frazier. Now, the new coaching staff is looking for the same continuity on the right side of the line.
Spencer Anderson, who is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and Dylan Cook are listed as the starters on the depth chart. But two members of the 2026 draft class likely are the future on the right side. Iheanachor was the No. 21 overall pick in the draft. Gennings Dunker was picked in the third round.
Iheanachor is making a push to earn a starting job this summer with a strong start to camp, while Dunker appears to have a tougher path to bump off Anderson or veteran Brock Hoffman.
“It’s a very plentiful room, I’d say,” new offensive line coach James Campen said. “Building from the offensive and defensive lines is certainly something I’m a fan of. It’s been terrific so far. You have three guys from the same draft and then two more from the same draft. It’s a very good room and a very competitive room.”
Campen coached the Green Bay Packers’ offensive line for 11 seasons under McCarthy and also coached for the Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Chargers, Houston Texans and Carolina Panthers.
The past two seasons, he worked as a consultant with the Packers. But he was itching to return to an on-field coaching position. When McCarthy landed the Steelers job, it was the perfect opportunity for Campen to return as an offensive line coach.
“I’ve done this before with [McCarthy], and we had pretty darn good results,” Campen said. “I’m looking forward to doing it again.”
The pressure is on Campen to mold this young group into the next great Steelers offensive line. The Pouncey-led lines of last decade did not bloom right away. It took some time and a few different coaches before they took off.
Sean Kugler coached the Steelers’ offensive line from 2010-12 and Jack Bicknell Jr. in 2013. It wasn’t until Mike Munchak came onboard as offensive line coach in 2014 that they became dominant as a unit.
Pouncey received some individual accolades, but it took a coach like Munchak to pull the potential out of them as a group.
Campen’s resume is impressive. Tackle David Bakhtiari made first-team All-Pro under his watch and guard Josh Sitton made the Pro Bowl five times. From 2010-18, the Packers had six different offensive linemen make the Pro Bowl.
“It’s a new perspective,” Frazier said. “Sometimes it might be good to get a different perspective and pick up new things. I think that’s the main thing. He’s a good culture guy. That’s been a good thing. I enjoy being in the room with him.”
Campen praised former line coach Pat Meyer for preparing this group with a detailed understanding of the professional game. He said his job now is to mold them in his vision and add some coaching tips to help them take the next step in their development.
“His philosophy of coaching and how he approaches the game, we’re learning from him,” Fautanu said. “It is different from Pat — but in a good way. You go from one end of the spectrum to another. You get to pick up on things. It’s helping me a lot because he’s adding more tools to my box.”
First Published: August 10, 2026, 1:00 a.m.