After a second straight offseason of significant additions along the offensive line, the Pittsburgh Steelers are inching closer and closer to having a top 10 unit in that area, at least according to Pro Football Focus.
The Steelers, following the addition of left guard Isaac Seumalo in free agency and the selection of left tackle Broderick Jones in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, moved up four spots in PFF’s offensive line rankings Tuesday morning, landing at No. 12 overall.
PFF’s Sam Monson, who ranked the offensive lines, is projecting Jones to start right away at left tackle next to Seumalo, while center Mason Cole, right guard James Daniels and right tackle Chukwuma Okorafor remain the same.
“Pittsburgh started the same five linemen in every game last season but changed two of the starters this offseason with the additions of Isaac Seumalo in free agency and Broderick Jones in the draft. Pittsburgh’s line ranked seventh in PFF pass-blocking efficiency but was significantly worse as a run-blocking unit,” Monson writes regarding the Steelers’ ranking in the trenches.
The addition of Seumalo in free agency on a relatively affordable three-year, $24 million deal was a big one for the Steelers as he is projected to slot in at left guard immediately, shoring up a position of great need in the trenches for Pittsburgh the last two seasons.
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, the seventh-year veteran has more than 2,000 career snaps at left guard. That makes him a seamless fit at the position in the Steel City. Regardless of where he plays though, it’s clear he’s one of the better guards in football at age 29.
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 Cole and Daniels — while good players in their own right — don’t really bring that to the table.
It is a bit interesting that Monson projects Jones to step into the starting left tackle role right away though, casting aside third-year pro Dan Moore Jr. and his 33 career starts. While Jones is very clearly the left tackle of the future in Pittsburgh, Moore isn’t going to go down without a fight, and with a very difficult early season stretch of pass rushers, the rookie might not be ready for the starting role.
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.
Along with ranking the Steelers No. 12 in the offensive line rankings, Monson highlighted Daniels as the Steelers’ best returning player in the trenches.
“There is no clear-cut standout from this group, but the best player probably comes down to either guard — incumbent James Daniels or new acquisition Seumalo,” Monson writes.
It’s probably fair to highlight Daniels as the best player in the trenches for Pittsburgh — at least for now.
Daniels was the best player on an offensive line that absolutely exceeded expectations in 2022. Signed to a three-year deal in free agency, Daniels stepped into the starting right guard job and became the offensive line’s quiet leader, one who led by example and was as consistent as they come in the trenches.
The 24-year-old guard stayed healthy all season long, not missing a single snap and playing a key role in the second-half turnaround the offensive line experienced. That led to a step forward in the second half for the offense as a whole and the Steelers went 7-2 down the stretch.
Daniels played 1,160 snaps on the season and allowed just 20 total pressures and zero sacks on 686 pass blocking reps, according to Pro Football Focus, finishing his first season as a Steeler with an overall grade of 67.1. The young guard was a massive upgrade over Trai Turner from the previous season and looks like a huge building block in front of quarterback Kenny Pickett and running back Najee Harris.
He’s still very young and is only getting better and better. He should take a significant step forward in 2023 for the Steelers now that he’s fully entrenched at right guard after moving around a bunch in Chicago.
Overall, it’s a really solid offensive line on paper. The only real question mark currently is at left tackle. Everywhere else, the Steelers appear set with experienced veterans and overall youth. Two years later, the significant rebuild in the trenches appears complete, putting the Steelers in a very good spot.
