One of the better signings in all of free agency was the Pittsburgh Steelers inking OL Isaac Seumalo to a three-year, $24 million contract. Throughout the offseason and now through the beginning of training camp, Seumalo’s linemates have offered a lot of praise for the veteran and the mentality he brings to the team. The latest is Mason Cole, telling Colin Dunlap of 93.7 The Fan that Seumalo was “the addition we needed to complete our room.”
“Isaac has been a great leader for us. He’s been on some really good offensive lines and played at a super high level for a long time. He’s brought that mentality to our room. He’s the addition we needed to complete our room,” Cole said via Dunlap on Twitter.
Seumalo’s time spent with talented O-lines on the Philadelphia Eagles is something that James Daniels also pointed out the other day, and the experiences he had in Philadelphia are clearly something he can use to teach the Steelers’ linemen. Pittsburgh’s line is young, and none of them have ever played on truly good offensive lines before.
The second half of last season was the best a Steelers offensive line had looked in a while, but it can’t even come close to comparing to some of the units Seumalo was with in Philadelphia. He knows what a good offensive line looks like and how to mold one, and as the most experienced player on Pittsburgh’s offense, he can take a leadership role and mentor the young line.
Besides his experience, he’s also a really good player. He’s one of the better guards in football with a 75.2 PFF grade last season on the league’s best offensive line, while also only allowing one sack and three quarterback hits all year. He’s going to strengthen Pittsburgh’s line in a big way, and he and James Daniels should combine to be one of the better guard pairings in football.
A strong offensive line opens up the game a lot for Pittsburgh, and Seumalo replacing Kevin Dotson really does feel like the missing piece needed to make Pittsburgh’s offensive line a good one. Seumalo was probably the offensive addition I was most excited about, and I can’t wait to watch him get to work throughout the season.
