Just before the start of the regular season, the Pittsburgh Steelers jettisoned two former starters along their offensive line that they projected to be backups. Former starting C Kendrick Green was sent off to the Houston Texans, while G Kevin Dotson found a new home, successfully, with the Los Angeles Rams.
While they received draft and salary cap compensation for unloading those players and their contracts, another strong motivation for the moves was the fact that they had some young offensive linemen that they were excited about and didn’t want to risk losing.
That included rookie seventh-round pick Spencer Anderson, but also former college free agent Dylan Cook, who made the team as the ninth lineman, capable of playing just about anywhere along the offensive line. A former quarterback, he only picked up line play once he got to college.
Originally signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cook told Chris Adamski that this year he views every day as a job interview. That’s likely partially because of his observations of the Buccaneers’ ninth lineman last year who just went through the motions while Cook was on the practice squad.
Now in that ninth lineman role, he understands how easily that can change, but his position coach, Pat Meyer, sees the potential for more in him. Adamski writes that Meyer believes Cook could eventually become the sixth lineman, the primary backup swing tackle who is also capable of contributing in sub-packages as an extra blocker.
The Steelers haven’t used the extra lineman much this year as a blocker, only a couple of snaps, first for Broderick Jones and then last week for Chukwuma Okorafor. However, it is something that they have used a lot historically.
As of now, Cook will have to wait, as the line is set at the top three tackle spots with Dan Moore Jr. at left tackle and Jones and Okorafor perhaps battling for the right tackle spot now. Or maybe Jones takes Moore’s spot. He’s going to take one of them sooner rather than later, anyway, and the loser will be the swing tackle.
Cook has spent most of the season as a healthy scratch, Anderson dressing as the eighth lineman while Nate Herbig serves as the top interior reserve. But if he’s patient, he’s in the right place, because Pittsburgh has a history of developing talent here over time.
Matt Feiler simmered on practice squads for years before emerging as a backup and then eventually as a full-time starter. Alejandro Villanueva, who similarly was inexperienced along the offensive line, developed into a Pro Bowl left tackle after spending a year on the practice squad and then entering the following season as a backup.
“You look for those couple traits that you like, that you value, and then obviously you try to work with that and see how much better they can get”, Meyer said of Cook. “So yeah, (the situation with Cook is) very similar to (Villanueva’s)”.
With Moore and Okorafor both only under contract through 2024, and the latter a potential salary cap casualty next offseason, there very well may soon be room for Cook further up the hierarchy. All he has to do is keep working at it. If he has the talent and the work ethic, he very well may get his chance.
