For Pittsburgh Steelers rookie OL Spencer Anderson, his calling card coming out of the 2023 NFL Draft was his versatility.
As Josh Carney of Steelers Depot highlighted this morning in a film room breaking down Anderson’s performance against Tampa Bay last Friday, the rookie showed he can play various positions on the offensive line. He ended up 13 snaps at right guard, 17 snaps at left guard, and seven snaps at right tackle. He represented himself well, showcasing the value he can bring to the Steelers as a guy who can play multiple positions if injuries were to strike.
During Tuesday’s practice, Anderson got some work at a position he didn’t play against Tampa Bay. Anderson took snaps at center, a position that Pittsburgh is trying to figure out behind starter Mason Cole. Tomlin was asked about Anderson playing center in Tuesday’s practice and what makes Tomlin think playing center could be a possibility for Pittsburgh.
“He did all those things in college and so, you know, if you show versatility, it helps his cause and ours,” Tomlin said to the media via video from Steelers Live’s Twitter page. “And he appears to be a young guy at least intellectually that’s capable of handling it. The more we give him reps, it’ll be revealed whether he’s physically capable of handling it. So far so good.”
Anderson played all five positions in college, including center. It wasn’t his primary position with the Terrapins, but he did cross train there and got game action at the pivot, suggesting that he could do the same thing with Pittsburgh.
Tomlin is right in saying that Anderson has the intellectual capacity as well as the willingness to help out at center. The question is whether he can physically hold up there, a question Carney posed in his film room breakdown of the offensive lineman. Anderson needs to continue to work on his functional strength to physically hold up against quality NFL defensive linemen on the interior.
For a guy looking to do anything to make the 53-man roster, showcasing the ability to play center after playing guard and tackle in Pittsburgh’s first preseason game is a great way to do it. The more versatile your backup offensive linemen are, the more you can protect against potential injury to your starters. Should Anderson prove himself competent at several of these positions, his value to the Steelers will only increase.
