Steelers Preseason
Steelers Preseason
The Pittsburgh Steelers play their third and final preseason game on Thursday night. It’s hard to believe, but meaningful games just around the corner. Through training camp and their first preseason two games, the Steelers have learned a lot about themselves. Position and roster battles have started to sort themselves out, and the picture is looking a little clearer ahead of this weekend’s roster cuts.
Among all the Steelers position groups, there is one under some extra pressure Thursday night: the offensive line.
It’s a group that took strides after a rough start to the 2025 season. The Steelers allowed seven sacks in the first two games last year, and there were questions as to whether Aaron Rodgers would make it through the season. But things got better, some of the weak links improved, and the Steelers even got good depth performances after some injuries later in the year.
Most of that group is back for the 2026 season. Troy Fautanu, Mason McCormick and Dylan Cook were all key cogs late last year. Now, all three are playing different positions.
So far, the results haven’t been great.
After moving left tackle, Fautanu had a rough preseason debut. He was called for a false start and a holding penalty, which negated a touchdown run.
EZ look at the holding call on Troy Fautanu on the Lew Nichols TD run #Steelers #NFL pic.twitter.com/3YBI43ckdy
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) August 14, 2026
According to beat writer Ray Fittipaldo, similar issues have popped up during practice as well. Fautanu had a good 2025 season and looked like a future cornerstone on an offensive line. Plus, his prior experience on the left side gave reason for optimism during the offseason. But his start to the year is a little concerning.
Opposite him is another question mark in Dylan Cook. Moving to right tackle, the position he played at Montana, Cook has had his chances to wrap up the competition with Max Iheanachor. The rookie missed the first two preseason games with an injury. But Cook didn’t show the Steelers much during the first preseason game, getting bulldozed early for a sack. He wasn’t much better against the New York Jets last Friday.
Many are still optimistic about Cook. And for the most part, he held his own against talented defenses to end last season. But he hasn’t been very consistent through the first two preseason games. His 33 snaps against New York are a sign the coaching staff is searching for that consistency.
The Steelers do have a lot of depth along their offensive line. But there are questions behind the starters. Broderick Jones is listed as the backup left tackle on the team’s depth chart. He can play both sides but hasn’t done so especially well during the preseason. He’s getting back into football shape yet just doesn’t look quite ready yet. He’s on the right side below and gives up a sack.
The latest sack of Drew Allar #Steelers pic.twitter.com/zeJaRCQ47m
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) August 22, 2026
Gennings Dunker is the backup left guard, and he did look pretty solid in his preseason debut. But he has been a little banged up and remains very raw. Max Iheanachor may finally play on Thursday, but he’s still a little unknown as a recent draft pick. And in guys like Brock Hoffman, Ryan McCollum, Doug Nester and Steven Jones, the Steelers have a mixed bag.
Of course, there are some very strong points on this line. Zach Frazier has been extremely impressive at center. And Mason McCormick has been a pleasant surprise to start his own NFL career. And we’ve seen what Troy Fautanu can do in the regular season. Even Spencer Anderson, set to start at right guard, was impressive when called upon last year.
But it would do a world of good for this line to settle down in the final preseason game. There’s been so many moving parts, and it’s just not meshing yet. This is the last chance for the Steelers to get things in order up front before the preseason ends. We’ll see if the unit looks any better against Buffalo.