Today’s free agent analysis for 2024 focuses on Pittsburgh Steelers OL Dylan Cook. The second-year veteran went undrafted out of Montana in 2022, latching onto the Steelers in 2023. He earned a spot on the 53-man roster as the ninth lineman and remained there all season. His first 53-man spot, he earned his place by showing position versatility.
Player: Dylan Cook
Position: Offensive Lineman
Experience: 1 Year
Free Agent Status: Exclusive Rights
2023 Salary Cap Hit: $750,000
2023 Season Breakdown:
Dylan Cook made the minimum amount of money a player could earn while spending a full season on a 53-man roster and not getting fined or otherwise losing money. He earned $750,000 as the minimum salary for a first-year player.
He earned it. In fact, he encouraged the Steelers to trade two veterans to keep him. They dealt Kendrick Green to the Houston Texans and Kevin Dotson to the Los Angeles Rams. In hindsight, they ought to regret the latter, but Cook’s strong preseason opened that door.
While he spent the year inactive as the ninth lineman (behind rookie seventh-round pick Spencer Anderson), the coaches remained high on him throughout the season. In November, offensive line coach Pat Meyer said that he sees a climb up the depth chart in his future. His ability to play across the offensive line at almost any position helps those efforts.
A former quarterback, Cook only began to play along the offensive line when he got to college. That he can play pretty much anywhere—he can still pick up center—in such a short span of time is all the more notable given that fact.
But he established in 2023 he is worthy of being on an NFL 53-man roster. The next step is proving that he is worthy of participating in a game, or at least serving as a primary backup. I think Cook showed enough last year to give himself a fighting chance.
Free Agency Outlook:
All free agents with fewer than three years of accrued experience are exclusive rights free agents. This means that their connecting team has exclusive rights over re-signing him until the start of the new league year, including dictating salary terms. The player’s only option is to not sign. If the team does not sign an exclusive rights free agent, he eventually becomes a street free agent free to sign with anybody.
There is no chance of the Steelers not re-signing Dylan Cook, however. Even though he didn’t play at all during the 2023 season, they clearly liked him. They could have afforded to keep Dotson if they really wanted to. They felt played like Anderson and Cook made him expendable as a reserve.
The minimum salary for a second-year player in 2024 is $915,000, so that’s what Cook will earn. Assuming he makes the roster and stays there, he will earn $1,030,000 in 2025. He can become a restricted free agent in 2026 at the earliest.
