The Pittsburgh Steelers are most of the way through the first part of the offseason leading to the draft. Before we get there, we’re going to take stock of how the roster has evolved over the past several weeks. Position by position, we’ll break down who’s coming and going and what’s next, for those rookies and those already here.
Position: Offensive Tackle
Total Positional Figure: 7
Offseason Additions: 0
Offseason Deletions: 0
Players Retained:
Isaac Seumalo: Signed as an unrestricted free agent last year, Seumalo arguably developed into their best lineman. He started off slow, but his power and intelligence proved to be assets. But he’s already 30 years old, so beginning to think about a successor isn’t a bad idea.
James Daniels: Entering his third year with the team, Daniels has established himself as a quality guard. He’s started slow, likewise, each of the past two years, but that may be a team, structural issue. One hopes they can avoid that this year.
Nate Herbig: After Mason Cole’s release, Herbig is currently the “next man up” at center. I expect this to change by the time the regular season begins. He has minimal experience actually playing center in meaningful games, but is a solid guard.
Spencer Anderson: A seventh-round pick a year ago, Anderson spent hos rookie season active as the eighth lineman. He has college experience at tackle, guard, and center, though primarily tackle if memory serves. Some view him as a dark-horse candidate if the Steelers fail to draft a starting center or tackle.
Dylan Cook: Cook made the roster last year as a first-year player as a tackle and guard. He arguably looked the best of all the non-starters, but you can only glean so much from the preseason. Entering 2024, he is fighting for a roster spot once again, but the coaches like him.
Ryan McCollum: Already with two seasons of practice squad experience, McCollum should have a good feel for Pat Meyer’s scheme. He is primarily a center, though can also play guard, but if he’s starting, something bad happened.
Joey Fisher: I admittedly forgot to mention Joey Fisher in my March positional review. He signed as a Reserve/Future player at the end of last season after spending most of the year on the practice squad. A potential mid- to late-round prospect last year, Fisher didn’t get drafted at all. Perhaps after he broke his hand in the pre-draft process.
Players Added: N/A
Players Deleted: N/A
Notes And Draft Outlook:
As with tackle, the Steelers have not addressed the interior offensive line since the end of last season via additions. They released Chukwuma Okorafor and Mason Cole, but have not brought in one single outside lineman as yet.
In other words, they’re putting all of their eggs in the draft basket. They initially explored the free agent center market, but it proved rather expensive this year. They should have little difficulty adding a quality starting center or tackle, but managing to do both is another matter. While they have their starting guards, and they have depth, they need a starting center. Whether it’s Graham Barton, Jackson Powers-Johnson, or Zach Frazier, they want a plug-and-play guy. But they may need to plug him in the first round to secure him.
