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Cowherd: Steelers Offensive Line Is Biggest Question Ahead Of 2023 Season

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Build through the trenches. That was the very clear directive for the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason under GM Omar Khan and assistant GM Andy Weidl.

In large part, it was a success, especially on the offensive side of the football.

The Steelers added veteran guards Isaac Seumalo and Nate Herbig in free agency, and then traded up to No. 14 overall to acquire left tackle Broderick Jones in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, marking the second straight offseason the Steelers went through a sizable overhaul along the offensive line.

Now, entering the 2023 season the Steelers are in a very good position overall up front under head coach Mike Tomlin. Yet, for Fox Sports personality Colin Cowherd, the offensive line in Pittsburgh remains the biggest question mark ahead of what should be a rather competitive season for the Black and Gold.

“…if their offensive line — because I think [Kenny] Pickett’s good enough; my whole question with them is the same as Buffalo: can you get the offensive line right?” Cowherd posed to co-host Jason McIntyre on Tuesday, according to video via YouTube.

The discussion regarding the Steelers on Cowherd’s show started due to the comments star outside linebacker T.J. Watt made on the Footbahlin Podcast with Ben Roethlisberger Sunday night, stating that he’s “very encouraged” by the direction the Steelers’ defense is heading. While Cowherd largely agreed with Watt and is very high on the Steelers’ defense overall entering the 2023 season, he highlighted the Steelers’ offensive line as the biggest concern for the Black and Gold, rather than the inside linebacker position, or even slot cornerback.

The addition of Seumalo is a massive one for the Steelers, solidifying the left guard position for the foreseeable future, giving Pittsburgh two foundational guards with James Daniels. Seumalo will have the task of either helping third-year pro Dan Moore Jr. find consistency at left tackle, should Moore stick in the starting role to open the 2023 season, or help speed up the maturation and development process for Jones as a rookie. Assistant GM Andy Weidl knows Seumalo well, and it’s not a surprise the Steelers were aggressive in going and getting the guard.

While Seumalo played right guard last season for the Eagles and was an essential part of Philadelphia’s offensive attack on a run to the Super Bowl, Seumalo has more than 2,000 career snaps at left guard. That makes him a seamless fit at the position in the Steel City.

The Steelers certainly got better with the signing of Seumalo. He is exactly the type of player this team needed up front. He’s a big, physical offensive lineman who brings some nastiness to the run game, something the Steelers really needed inside as center Mason Cole and Daniels — while good players in their own right — don’t really bring that to the table.

Along with Seumalo, the move up in the draft to get Jones was a shrewd one by Khan and Weidl, but it fit exactly what the team wanted to do in the offseason. Pittsburgh added a great athlete at the position in Jones. Though he is a bit inexperienced with just 19 career games in college, he is a dominant run blocker overall and fits the nasty mentality Pittsburgh was searching for.

He still needs to work on his hand usage in Pat Meyer’s system, but he is certainly an upgrade at left tackle for the Steelers once he’s in the lineup.

Looking at the Steelers’ offensive line on paper, there are far fewer questions within the starting five and from a depth perspective than there are for positions like inside linebacker and slot cornerback. It’s a bit odd that Cowherd wonders about the offensive line in Pittsburgh overall, but he tends to zig where others zag.

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