For the rest of the preseason, I’m handing out Pittsburgh Steelers training camp grades. Position-by-position, we’ll evaluate each Steeler who spent training camp with the team to reveal the good, bad, and ugly. This is based on the team’s 14 public training camp practices and preseason performances through the date of each article. This grade looks at camp/preseason performance in a vacuum. Nothing else is evaluated.
Today, finishing grading the offense with the o-line.
Previous Training Camp Grades
Quarterback
Running Back
Tight End
Wide Receiver
Troy Fautanu
A great camp and even better preseason performance for Fautanu. He wasn’t under the microscope as much because of Jones’ past struggles, but Fautanu entered camp with plenty of external questions after barely playing as a rookie. He answered the call. Facing T.J. Watt as an elite sparring partner made in-stadium action light work. He’s shorter than the average tackle, but his length makes up for it. More importantly, his base (great knee bend and really sits in his stance), athleticism, and technique make for a great offensive lineman. Acting like a savvy vet who knows how to mix up his sets and flashes a mean ‘bait’ hand, faking his punch to get the rusher to show his move, Fautanu is wise beyond his years. A long college resume helped make him NFL-ready, and he used his injured year to hone his craft.
Dealing with pure power rushes and inside counters remains my biggest question with him, and I didn’t get to see enough reps of it this summer to judge if he’s progressed from his rookie year. In preseason, he faced a lot of speed/outside rushes. His run blocking could use extra evaluation after a pass-happy preseason with the 1’s in the game.
Still, Fautanu is on the right track, and Pittsburgh needs him to carry this impressive summer into the fall and winter. In our camp awards, we named him the winner of the summer.
Camp Grade: A
Mason McCormick
The forgotten youngster on the offensive line, McCormick kept his head above water as a rookie and is taking big strides settling into the starting right guard spot on the offensive line. A big body with good power, McCormick said he’s worked on his hand placement and punch. His strikes certainly seem more efficient and typical for a second-year guard in Pat Meyer’s aggressive on/off-body system. McCormick is much more comfortable in his pass sets. His independent hand usage is better than a year ago, and his strikes have power behind them.
He was available and durable all camp and seemed to build a fast friendship with Aaron Rodgers. The two would often chat each other up before practice. McCormick never received formal team period snaps at center but spent parts of camp, namely the first few days and last couple when the o-line got thin, snapping to quarterbacks in practice. Mark him down as the emergency third-string center if that’s ever needed.
McCormick was steady in preseason action and looks to reach another level in his game. Pittsburgh will surely sign up for that.
Camp Grade: B+
Broderick Jones
Jones is an example of how narratives shouldn’t form too quickly, good or bad. Jones had a tough start to camp, and the first four practices looked a lot like last year’s disaster. Add a groin injury to that, and it was an ominous sign.
But as the Latrobe weather turned from rain to sun, so did Jones’ summer. He missed two practices and finished camp healthy while looking far better once the pads came on. Typical for linemen who feel “free” with the extra equipment. Even with EDGE Alex Highsmith missing the latter half of camp with a groin injury, Jones had good sparring partners in Nick Herbig and T.J. Watt, who picked up a handful of ROLB snaps throughout camp.
Jones showed his athleticism to seal the edge and played with better technique. He kept his head out of blocks less often, though it was an issue that crept up during game action. Old habits die hard. Jones faced quality rushers inside stadiums and held up reasonably well. He’s still prone to having at least one ugly rep per game and still feels a little stiff and rigid, at least compared to Troy Fautanu opposite him. But there’s improvement, and his confidence has to be higher than it was a year ago.
The good narrative on him now should also be carefully taken. What happens in the regular season will dictate his future in Pittsburgh, and Jones has tall tasks ahead of him.
Camp Grade: B
Spencer Anderson
Isaac Seumalo’s absence has always been Anderson’s gain. It gives him consistent first-team reps. Primarily at guard this camp, he dabbled at left tackle when lines got thin as Broderick Jones battled an early-camp groin injury.
Anderson’s game doesn’t overwhelm. He’s not the biggest, strongest, or most athletic. But technically, he’s improved and had a couple of nice pass sets in the preseason. Even one against the burly Vita Vea against Tampa Bay. His game already feels maxed out, but he’s ticketed as the top backup guard. He can hold his own so long as he’s playing a little. Not a lot. There’s still not long-term starter potential here.
Camp Grade: B
Isaac Seumalo
Seumalo spent more time watching than practicing this year. Pittsburgh’s careful with its lone veteran along the offensive line, and he opened up the year on NFI due to a soft tissue injury. Activated after a few days, his camp was its usual solid self. It’s always fun to watch the one-on-one OL/DL drills to watch Seumalo’s reps versus others. His power and anchor just look different than the other guards, and those drills show that contrast. His ability to hop step and stall out bull rushes is far more effective than those still learning their craft and those who simply don’t have the size and strength Seumalo does.
Seumalo ended camp on a peculiar note, not showing up at practice for the final few days. But he’s back at practice and ready for the start of the season, looking for a better start when a pec strain caused him to miss the first month of 2024. Pittsburgh held him out of all three preseason games. It would’ve been nice to see him work with the starting five once inside a stadium but the decision is understandable.
There isn’t a whole lot to evaluate here, but Seumalo was the one lineman who didn’t need to be highly examined this summer.
Camp Grade: B
Steven Jones
A sleeper out of Oregon in 2024, he signed with Pittsburgh this offseason. Big and powerful, he showcased versatility by playing right guard and both tackle spots. Most of his time came on the right side, and without counting up all his reps, he played more tackle than guard. In part due to injuries to guys like Calvin Anderson, who left the team thin at the position as they charged through camp with fewer available linemen than usual (the ideal number is 15; Pittsburgh probably went through camp with about 12 healthy guys at any given point). But that meant extra reps for someone like Jones, who practiced daily.
Jones is big and powerful and hard to run through. He can throw weight as a run blocker and pull a little bit, though he didn’t do much of it in Arthur Smith’s outside zone-based system. He found work when uncovered in preseason action with two slabs against Carolina.
Steven Jones (No. 79) showing how to find work when uncovered. Couple of 2nd half slabs to help his RG out.
He's a big guy with power and tackle/guard versatility. Should stick to the PS. #Steelers pic.twitter.com/02Ca5o9G05
— Alex Kozora (@Alex_Kozora) August 23, 2025
Jones’ most significant issue is a lack of foot speed. He’s too easily beaten around the edge by speed rushes. It makes him a better fit at guard than tackle, though injuries kept him outside more often than not this summer. There are traits and versatility worth keeping on the practice squad, but any long-term outlook of playing in regular-season action needs to come at guard. Maybe a spot opens up should Isaac Seumalo depart ahead of next season.
Camp Grade: B-
Max Scharping
Scharping put in an honest day’s work each day this summer. Seeing elevated reps with injuries around him, he spent most of camp as the No. 2 center with Ryan McCollum battling injuries. Scharping, however, isn’t a natural center and is more comfortable playing guard. His snaps seemed acceptable in camp, but in the preseason opener, I counted six snaps off-line. None ended in disaster, but they were consistently high and to the right, messing with the timing of plays.
Scharping is a vet and functional all the way around. He’s functionally strong and athletic enough. It’s not special, but it gets the job done more often than not. He’s a backup through and through, but with his experience and versatility, he could hang around.
Camp Grade: C+
Dylan Cook
Cook was healthy and worked every day. That’s the good news. And his camp wasn’t awful. But it’s hard coming away feeling great about it, either. A sleeper in 2023, he’s yet to recapture that magic. He’s an average to above-average athlete, a former college quarterback who switched to o-line comparatively late. He works his hands well and can throw his hands independently.
But he’s a lighter and smaller tackle who too easily gets bumped off his moorings. He’s prone to losing against inside counters and spins, and his reps felt inconsistent throughout the summer. Inside stadiums, he picked up a couple of penalties.
Cook can play left and right tackle, which is important versatility for a backup offensive line. He sort of feels like Beanie Bishop. He is outlasting because of injuries around him, where Pittsburgh has few other options. This was a make-or-break year for Cook, and he somehow found a way to fall in between.
Camp Grade: C+
Zach Frazier
The one young buck who felt secure, Frazier’s summer could’ve gone better. There were improvements in some regards. He discussed throwing his off-hand more, and that’s a new weapon in his tool belt. Now, he’s able to get hands on earlier and win reps quicker, using it to combat Keeanu Benton’s club/over during a one-on-one drill. Aaron Rodgers praised Frazier for his football IQ, which helped ease his transition into Pittsburgh’s offense.
Still, it wasn’t all roses. Snaps were a consistent issue. O-line coach Pat Meyer attributed that to Frazier feeling jumpy early in team periods, and several snaps completely wasted valuable camp reps. Perhaps Frazier trying to throw his off-hand also messed up the rhythm of his snaps. Early camp issues cleaned up mid-way through, but reared an ugly head during the second preseason game with two low hikes versus Tampa Bay. It’s small but can mess up the timing of a play, one ending in a Mason Rudolph interception.
Frazier also had his hands full with Tampa Bay NT Vita Vea, struggling to handle his strength and power. That’s as tough an assignment as they come, but it suggests Frazier’s possible ceiling as a very good, not great, player. The great ones have to show more fight against the elite guys. Frazier could still get there, but the game showed some of his limitations.
Still, assuming Frazier gets those snapping yips cleaned up, he’s rock solid in the middle.
Camp Grade: C
Andrus Peat
A mid-camp add, Peat is pushing for a final roster spot. A first-round pick who isn’t just on the back nine of his career but putting on Hole 18, Peat played a bit of tackle when first arriving but saw most of his reps at left guard. He looked solid against Tampa Bay and worse against Carolina. Catching a moving train this late is tough and muddies the evaluation. The health of players like Calvin Anderson could dictate Peat’s role with the team, namely, if he has one.
Camp Grade: C-
Ryan McCollum
A frustrating summer for McCollum, who battled injuries more than he did opponents. He was held out of the beginning of camp due to what seemed to be a leg injury. He missed a chunk of time before returning to practice. As quickly as he came, he left again. During one practice, he dressed but was pulled out of individual drills and sent back to the team facility, frustrated after an animated back-and-forth with trainers.
He missed the final few camp practices and the first two preseason games. Cleared for the finale against Carolina, McCollum showed predictable rust. He also picked up three penalties, one of which moved Pittsburgh back from 4th and 1 to 4th and 6, preventing the offense from going for it. His snaps looked good, and he should remain the No. 2 center behind Zach Frazier, but a lack of work this year wasn’t what McCollum wanted with a brand-new quarterback room. At least he has some history with Mason Rudolph.
Camp Grade: D+
Doug Nester
A disappointing summer for Nester, one of 11 players released Friday as Pittsburgh made initial roster cuts. He worked each day and played left and right guard. But there wasn’t much more to say beyond that. He has size, and in camp, showed strength to anchor. But he was too easily pushed around during preseason action and didn’t play to his size profile. He picked up a holding call in the opener versus Jacksonville.
He was available and durable, but that’s the most notable thing I can say about his camp. Despite an open door entering camp, it’s unlikely he sticks to the practice squad.
Camp Grade: D+
Aiden Williams
Pegged as a small school sleeper out of D-II Minnesota-Duluth, it didn’t materialize for Williams. He’s a good athlete who got ahead of screens and sprinted downfield to throw blocks. But he’s too light in the pants to hold up and anchor. Bull rushes gave him fits, and utilizing the hop step to counter didn’t work. His base just isn’t NFL-caliber, and until he grows into his frame, if he’s even capable of doing that, he’s going to struggle.
Williams missed the final day of training camp and didn’t play in the Steelers’ final two preseason games. He was still kept on the roster, but his summer ended with a whimper.
Camp Grade: D
Gareth Warren
Signed as a tryout player out of rookie minicamp, Warren missed about a week with a knee injury. He battled back, but looked uncomfortable playing right tackle and struggled overall. Probably not 100-percent healthy and still wearing a small brace after the injury, Warren lacked the foot speed to secure the edge or mirror inside counters.
He has a nice base and can sit into his stance, but profiles more like a guard than a tackle. From FCS Lindenwood, there was a big jump in competition, too. Warren picked up multiple preseason penalties before suffering a concussion chasing down Logan Woodside’s interception against Tampa Bay. Warren was waived/injured a few days later. A tough camp for him, but making it to the NFL level is no small feat.
Camp Grade: D
Nick Broeker
Tough camp for Broeker, who was an early cut. Broeker looked smaller than listed, struggled with snaps, and had difficulty finding reps. He was often squeezed out of the running as Max Scharping took his center work.
Pittsburgh waived Broeker as they brought in Andrus Peat. The Dallas Cowboys claimed him, and he’s played considerable snaps for them this preseason.
Camp Grade: D-
Calvin Anderson
Anderson had a nice camp. At least, the snaps he had before getting hurt late in Friday Night Lights, limping off the field during a team drill, and never returning the rest of the summer. The exacts of his injury aren’t known, but it’s severe enough to make him a potential IR-return candidate to begin the year.
Anderson looked steadier in pass protection than I thought he would. Ticketed for the swing tackle role pre-injury, his status could leave Pittsburgh in a tough spot to begin the year.
Camp Grade: Incomplete
Julian Pearl
One of the team’s last summer signings, he was added after Gareth Warren’s concussion. A big and long tackle undrafted in 2024, he picked up a handful of snaps in the preseason finale. Not much to evaluate here. He’s got size, but probably not the athleticism to consistently turn away speed rushers at the top of the arc. Weak tackle depth could keep him on the practice squad, though he was part of the 11-man roster trimming on Friday.
Camp Grade: Incomplete
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