The Steelers are now in Latrobe at Saint Vincent College for the 2023 installment of training camp. They are coming off of a 9-8 season during which they broke in their new quarterback, Kenny Pickett, finishing the year strong by winning seven of their last nine but coming up short of the postseason.
They’ve done a great deal to address what they identified as their shortcomings during the offseason, which included addressing the offensive and defensive lines as well as the secondary and the inside linebacker room, which is nearly entirely different from last year.
From the first day of training camp to the last, there are going to be plenty of questions that need answered, including several battles for starting roles. Which veterans might be vulnerable to release? Who are the sleepers who will emerge in camp and make a run at ta roster spot? We’ll try to frame the conversation in relevant ways as long as you stick with us throughout the season, as we have for many years.
Question: Will Spencer Anderson be the offensive line’s ultimate utility man?
Although he primarily played tackle and guard during his college career, rookie seventh-round offensive lineman Spencer Anderson spent perhaps the entirety of his time during the spring working at center, if reports from journalists covering the team are to be trusted.
Yet on the first day of training camp, he was working at tackle—even though the Steelers ostensibly don’t need him there. Generally teams like to carry enough linemen for three lines, and they have enough tackles for that. Dan Moore Jr. and Chukwuma Okorafor for the starters, Broderick Jones and Le’Raven Clark on line two, and then Jarrid Williams and Dylan Cook for the third line.
Yet there was Anderson lining up at tackle on the first day of training camp. Yes, the Steelers surely wanted to break him into the center role, but they didn’t draft him for the explicit purpose of being a center—just to be able to play it.
At this point in the race, he is probably not among the top candidates competing for the backup center job—Nate Herbig or Kendrick Green would currently be my guess, for better or worse—but he should be in the mix for the ninth lineman spot.
If they can have Anderson over Clark there, that adds even more value. While Clark is a guard-capable tackle, Anderson would be able to play all five positions, and the Steelers haven’t had a decent one of those in a while.
Of course, he has to play well enough to be worthy of a spot on the 53-man roster, first. The Steelers don’t even have to carry a ninth lineman outside of the practice squad. But he has the next several weeks to earn a job. Day One at least shows their interest in his versatility, which, if not surprising, is still significant.
