Player: OL Spencer Anderson
Stock Value: Up
Reasoning: With the Steelers in need of a starting center and an upgrade at tackle, Spencer Anderson has an opportunity. The odds that he ends up in the starting lineup are low. However, Pittsburgh will struggle to land starters at both center and tackle this offseason. At the least, Anderson could move up to a primary backup role at tackle or the interior.
The Pittsburgh Steelers do not have an experienced NFL veteran with tangible center experience on the roster. They voluntarily opened up this hole after releasing Mason Cole, their starter for the previous two seasons. While they have two starting tackles, they also want to upgrade from Dan Moore Jr. And they want to move Broderick Jones from the right side, with Moore struggling on the left.
Opportunity knocks for the likes of Spencer Anderson, a 2023 seventh-round draft pick. At the very least, he could stand to rise in the ranks from the eighth lineman to a direct backup. He was never one snap away from playing during his rookie season barring injuries. But the full range of possibilities are open to him this offseason, if he manages to seize upon them.
Let’s start with the obvious difficulty of the Steelers finding two new linemen ready to start now in the draft. They’ll likely land a starter in the first round, either at center or tackle. But it won’t be easy to make up for the position you passed on, so you may need to make do with the alternative.
If they pass on a center, the Steelers are not going to hand Nate Herbig the job. They probably would in the event of an opening at guard, but he has minimal center experience. Anderson doesn’t have a ton more, but I could see them allowing the two to compete.
Some reports indicate the Steelers actually feel tackle is his best position, though. Say they draft a center in the first round and the starting-quality tackles pass them by. They’re still committed to moving Jones, but they know Moore can’t start on the right side. At the least, they can allow Anderson to challenge for the job.
Otherwise, he should be in the mix to be the swing tackle or swing interior lineman, or at least the backup center. With eight linemen dressed now, you can have a different backup for guard and center. If the Steelers draft a center, the rookie can start, with Herbig the backup guard and Anderson the backup center. If they draft a tackle, he could end up the swing tackle, or at least the backup right tackle. The point is, he has an opportunity for upward mobility depending on how the draft breaks.
As the season progresses, Steelers players’ stocks rise and fall. The nature of the evaluation differs with the time of year, with in-season considerations being more often short-term. Considerations in the offseason often have broader implications, particularly when players lose their jobs, or the team signs someone. This time of year is full of transactions, whether minor or major.
A bad game, a new contract, an injury, a promotion—any number of things affect a player’s value. Think of it as a stock on the market, based on speculation. You’ll feel better about a player after a good game, or worse after a bad one. Some stock updates are minor, while others are likely to be quite drastic, so bear in mind the degree. I’ll do my best to explain the nature of that in the reasoning section of each column.
