Entering the offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers, under GM Omar Khan and assistant GM Andy Weidl, had one clear thing in mind overall: shoring up the offensive line from a starting lineup and depth perspective.
Mission accomplished for the Steelers, Khan and Weidl as the duo landed veteran left guard Isaac Seumalo in free agency on a three-year, $24 million deal, and added veteran backup guard Nate Herbig on a two-year deal. On top of that, the Steelers moved up in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft to land Georgia’s Broderick Jones, making the left side of the offensive line a perceived strength compared to a year ago with Dan Moore Jr. and Kevin Dotson.
The moves on the left side of the offensive line in the offseason now have the Steelers’ offense looking complete overall and Tuesday earned the distinction as the “best move” of the offseason from The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly.
“Though the offensive line continued to get better as the season progressed a year ago and was set to run it back, new general manager Omar Khan wisely decided to throw some heavy capital at the left side of the unit. The Steelers were clearly motivated this offseason to protect Kenny Pickett’s blind side and add some physicality to their line and did so in a way they have rarely done before,” Kaboly writes regarding the Steelers’ moves on the left side of the line. “Pittsburgh moved up three spots in the first round to select left tackle Broderick Jones with the 14th overall pick. It was the first time the Steelers used a first-round pick on a tackle in 26 years. They also added veteran guard Isaac Seumalo from Philadelphia, giving him the second-highest street free agent contract in the history of the organization.
“The upgrade of the offensive line has a trickle-down effect, with Dan Moore Jr.and Kevin Dotson potentially moving to depth roles. The Steelers now look like they can be a physical running team with backs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren along with last year’s offensive line upgrades in James Daniels and Mason Cole returning.”
The moves to add Seumalo, Herbig and Jones were a continuation of the work that former GM Kevin Colbert did in the offseason ahead of the 2022 season, adding Mason Cole and James Daniels to try and shore up the offensive line after a disastrous 2021 season, while also bringing in position coach Pat Meyer, who helped transform the group overall in his first season.
While Seumalo played right guard last season for the Philadelphia 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 Cole and Daniels — while good players in their own right — don’t really bring that to the table.
How well that translates to success in 2023 is anyone’s guess. But based on Seumalo’s career to date, he’s going to be a steady starter that will be impactful in the run game and will keep the depth of the pocket clean as Pickett looks to take the next step.
As for Jones, he’s a mauler in the run game, one who moves extremely well and can climb to the second level or get out in space to really lay the wood to a defender, springing the running back. He has light feet in pass protection as well and moves quite well in his pass sets. That said, he needs to continue to develop his hand usage and has a tall task in front of him of truly grasping Meyer’s independent hand usage technique for offensive linemen in pass protection.
We’ll see how long it takes him to hit the field with the starters and how he adjusts to the NFL game after just those 19 games at Georgia. But based on his traits and overall production in those 19 games — he didn’t allow a single sack –he could see the field rather quickly on Pittsburgh’s rebuilt left side next to Seumalo.
Thanks to some aggressiveness from Khan and Weidl, and some shrewd moves overall, the Steelers’ offensive line is in much better shape in 2023, which could lead to a big season in Pittsburgh.
