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: 8
Offseason Additions:
Offseason Deletions: 0
Players Retained:
Broderick Jones: Will the Steelers find a way to move Jones from right tackle to left tackle? And if not, can he play at a high a level on the right side? These are the only real questions about the 2023 first-round draft pick.
Dan Moore Jr.: Going into his fourth season, Moore may no longer be able to hold onto his starting job. The veteran left tackle is likely to face the prospect of the Steelers drafting another player at his position very early.
Spencer Anderson: A 2023 seventh-round pick, Anderson can play all five positions. Reporters indicate that the Steelers feel tackle may be his strongest position, however. He served as the eighth lineman last year.
Dylan Cook: Cook can play both guard and tackle, but primarily played tackle. A former college free agent, he was their ninth lineman a year ago, but a young player the coaches are high on.
Kellen Diesch: A 2023 practice squad player, Diesch is a former college free agent in 2022 from the Bears. He was once named a top practice squad player if that does anything for you.
Tyler Beach: A position-flexible player who is primarily a tackle, Beach signed to the practice squad in January. Obviously, the Steelers didn’t get a long look at him since their season soon ended after that.
Anderson Hardy: Like Beach, Hardy is a player the Steelers worked out before actually signing him. Unlike Beach, the Steelers didn’t sign Hardy until after the season after working him out in September.
Devery Hamilton: Hamilton worked out in late December, the same time as when the Steelers took a look at Beach. They didn’t sign him either, until after the season ended. As with most of these lower-level players, he also has some guard flexibility.
Players Added: N/A
Players Deleted: N/A
Notes And Draft Outlook:
The Steelers have surprisingly done nothing at the offensive tackle position since last we spoke of it. You’ll note the absence of Chukwuma Okorafor’s name. That is simply because we addressed it the last time we surveyed the position, as linked above, in late February. Other than the four players retained from last season’s roster, it’s all unpedigreed practice squad-level players.
However, many expect the Steelers to target the offensive tackle position in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Amarius Mims is one name they’ve frequently been paired with. You can run down a list of others, but they’re probably hoping to get one of them in the first round. If they don’t, it’s probably because they felt the need to take a center over FOMO—Fear of Missing Out.
