The Pittsburgh Steelers have a lot of young and talented players on their offense who are just entering their prime. Names like Kenny Pickett and George Pickens are two that stand out, but when Fox Sports NFL analyst Bucky Brooks made his list of breakout candidates this season, neither Pickett nor Pickens made the list. However, another Steeler did: center Mason Cole.
Cole joined the Steelers in 2022 and took over at center after Kendrick Green had a very disappointing rookie campaign. Cole came in and held down the center position. Even though he struggled with injury throughout the year he played at a level that every Steelers fan appreciated.
This season, Cole should be fully healthy and with the addition of guard Isaac Seumalo next to him at left guard, the Steelers interior offensive line could be dominant and garner national praise. This is why Brooks sees Cole as a breakout candidate in 2023.
“The veteran shored up one of the offense’s biggest weaknesses while exceeding expectations as a scrappy technician with a high IQ and superb communication skills,” wrote Brooks on Cole’s 2022 season. “As Cole grows more comfortable playing with his exceptional neighbors (Isaac Seumalo and James Daniels), Pittsburgh’s interior trio could spark an offense that torments opponents with a balanced approach, mixing physicality and finesse at the point of attack.”
With the run game being an emphasis this year in the Pittsburgh, the team’s offensive line should receive more attention by the national media. Pittsburgh fans praised Cole a lot last season, but in the national media not many knew about him as the offensive line was still seen as a disaster by most talking heads and casual fans despite it being an average unit by the end of the season.
Because of the additions the Steelers made this offseason to their offensive line, such as signing Seumalo and drafting tackle Broderick Jones, if the run game is very effective and the pass protection is above average the offensive linemen will receive their flowers.
Sometimes it takes the national media an extra year to buy the hype on a player that the fans of a team know a year prior. For Steelers fans saying Mason Cole will have a breakout season may sound silly. It felt like last year was his breakout season, so if he plays well again, he will probably see a ton of media attention and love.
