Iheanachor Steelers right tackle
Iheanachor Steelers right tackle
The Pittsburgh Steelers kick off their 2026 season in six days. The team has yet to announce starters at two offensive line spots – right guard and right tackle. Right guard is poised to be awarded to Spencer Anderson after spending all summer as the first-team right guard, though there’s a chance Brock Hoffman could rotate in. Right tackle is a different story.
There’s still a debate over which way Pittsburgh will go to begin the year. Dylan Cook has received the bulk of first-team reps but was unable to cement the job. Rookie Max Iheanachor is the future but pressing him into action comes with risk.
Is today the day Mike McCarthy declares a starter? He’s set to speak to reporters this afternoon at 3 PM/EST. He’s sure to be asked if there’s a starter. He could be coy and opt against announcing. After all, the Atlanta Falcons haven’t even named their starting quarterback (though that could come later today). Why give the Falcons a heads up?
He could say a decision hasn’t been made. Including Monday, the Steelers have four more practices to evaluate their options. Iheanachor missed multiple weeks with a summer neck/shoulder injury, making every practice from here on out more informative than normal.
Or he could, of course, announce a starter.
If he ultimately chooses Cook, he’s ripe for criticism of going with the “safe” pick instead of getting the inevitable out of the way. Iheanachor is going to start at some point and if the team deems him ready, there’s no reason to wait. If he chooses Iheanachor, he runs the risk of exposing him to the NFL early. Should Iheanachor struggle, McCarthy’s answer will be second-guessed.
But first, there must be an answer. We’ll see if that happens today.
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 resigning.
We’re already out of training camp, 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.