For the second time this year, Matt Feiler will get the nod at right tackle. That’s what he told reporters Friday afternoon, all but confirming Marcus Gilbert will sit out due to a knee injury. The PPG’s Ray Fittipaldo tweeted the news out a short time ago.
Feiler made his first start of 2018 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner praised him after the game and would later say he ordered a game ball for him.
Mike Tomlin said similar at his press conference following that game, a 30-27 win for the Steelers.
“I thought Matt did an awesome job,” Tomlin said when asked to evaluate Feiler’s play. “Thank you for mentioning that. I”d be remiss if I didn’t. Not surprised by it. We don’t take our contributions from our starters in waiting for granted. We expect those guys to perform well but at the same time, we appreciate it.”
Gilbert missed Wednesday and Thursday’s practices with a knee injury.
This will be Feiler’s third career start. In addition to the one earlier this year, he got the nod in the regular season finale against Cleveland, so there’s some familiarity there, but replaced David DeCastro at right guard.
He’s another diamond in the rough discovered by this team and groomed by Mike Munchak. A UDFA out of D2 Bloomsburg, Feiler was originally signed by the Houston Texans before the Steelers claimed him off waivers in 2015. He’ll face a capable Browns’ pass rush that ranks top ten in the league with 19 sacks on the season.
Although Myles Garrett will be listed as the team’s RDE, the side opposite Feiler, they’ve begun to move him around the defense. Meaning Feiler is likely to see Garrett at least a couple times this weekend. And the Browns, probably sensing a weakness in the Steelers’ line, might force that matchup even more.
