Pads won’t be on and there won’t be much true football this week at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the South Side for the Pittsburgh Steelers in mandatory minicamp. But that won’t take away from the fact that all eyes will again be on the rebuilt offensive line for the Black and Gold.
After signing the likes of guards Isaac Seumalo and Nate Herbig and offensive tackles Le’Raven Clark, Dylan Cook and Jarrid Williams in free agency, and drafting offensive tackle Broderick Jones out of Georgia in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, the rebuild in the trenches for Pittsburgh appears complete overall.
Now, it’s about seeing how it shakes out and meshes on the field, starting in minicamp.
The rebuilt offensive line was highlighted Monday morning as Bleacher Report’s “biggest storyline” for the Steelers entering minicamp.
“An improved offensive line would also go a long way toward progress. Kenny Pickett was under pressure on 21 percent of his dropbacks last season, according to Pro Football Reference, while the Steelers ranked a disappointing 25th in yards per rush. Offensive linemen like Isaac Seumalo, Nate Herbig and rookie tackle Broderick Jones were added to help revamp the unit,” Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox writes. “Seumalo, who started for the Eagles last season, should step into a starting role, while Jones started getting first-team reps during OTAs. Pittsburgh probably won’t tip its hand regarding any wrinkles Matt Canada is adding to the offense. However, fans should get a good look at how the new-look offensive line is shaping up during minicamp.”
It’s hard to get a good look at the offensive line in shirts and shorts. That said, it will be interesting to see how some of the reps are split up on first, second and third teams throughout the three-day minicamp June 13-15 on the South Side, which is the last tune-up before training camp gets underway at St. Vincent College in Latrobe on July 26.
So far, early returns have seen the starting offensive line look like this from left to right: Dan Moore Jr., Isaac Seumalo, Mason Cole, James Daniels, Chukwuma Okorafor.
Moore isn’t going to give up his starting job without a fight, that much is certain. It would not be all that surprising to see Moore open the season as the starter and eventually give way to Jones after the first few weeks, which is shaping up to be quite the gauntlet of pass rushers in San Francisco’s Nick Bosa, Cleveland’s Myles Garrett and Las Vegas’ Maxx Crosby.
Moore’s a two-year starter for Pittsburgh, and he’s made big strides during that time span. However, with the opportunity to grab a potential franchise left tackle in Jones, the Steelers were aggressive and traded up to do so. The move was part of an offensive line rebuild that’s spanned the past two offseasons, with the team bringing in Daniels, Cole and Seumalo as starters, and now potentially Jones.
While Jones is an athletic marvel who’s going to be a fantastic run blocker, he still needs work in pass protection. In college, he had a tendency to drop his hands too low and fail to get the initial punch on his opponent. Working with offensive line coach Pat Meyer should fix some of those flaws, and if he improves his pass blocking, he’d likely start over Moore right away. That’s a big improvement the Steelers would be banking on happening in training camp, though.
Regardless of who wins the competition at left tackle, the Steelers’ offensive line is going to be better off. If Moore’s improved enough from last season to be worthy of starting over a first-round pick, then that’s great news for the Steelers, who can then use Jones at swing tackle. If Jones wins the job, Moore is a really solid swing tackle, certainly an improvement over Trent Scott (who had the job last year) or LeRaven Clark (signed to potentially fill that role this year). More depth coupled with high-quality starters could make Pittsburgh’s unit towards the top of the league.
Add in the addition of Seumalo at left guard as well as the depth upgrade with Herbig at guard and center and things are looking rather strong overall in the trenches for Pittsburgh moving forward.
