The Pittsburgh Steelers made a heavy investment in their offensive line via the 2024 NFL Draft. Three of their first five picks were offensive linemen, including their first two picks at the top of the draft. The team has been in a multi-year rebuild with its first overhaul proving unsuccessful, so the line has a chance to be the best it has been since 2018 with the days of Maurkice Pouncey, Alejandro Villanueva, David DeCastro, Ramon Foster, and Marcus Gilbert. Brian Baldinger was a guest on 93.7 The Fan’s Morning Show on Tuesday and said that QB Russell Wilson will be the biggest beneficiary of the investments that the Steelers have made in the guys who will protect him.
“I think it’s gonna be the best offensive line by far that [Wilson] has played behind, probably ever, once this group really begins to gel and come together,” Baldinger said. “I think that’s gonna help him. He’s always been a guy that wanted to move, that because of his size and height, he’s always had to find the openings in order to make these throws.”
Along with the offensive line overhaul, the Steelers have a new offensive coordinator in Arthur Smith, so the offense will have some adjusting to do beyond just the new faces in the room. But for the first time since Mike Munchak’s tenure in Pittsburgh, the Steelers are returning their offensive line coach for a third season.
That type of stability should pay dividends as Broderick Jones, Isaac Seumalo, and James Daniels are now very familiar with the techniques Pat Meyer teaches and can help get Troy Fautanu and Zach Frazier up to speed.
You can’t call the rebuild of the offensive line complete just yet, but the investment in both the starting five and the depth behind them is in the healthiest spot it has been in years.
Mason McCormick was drafted in the fourth round and has versatility to be a backup at any of the three interior spots on the line. Dan Moore Jr. has three years of starting experience and figures to be the top swing tackle. And then Nate Herbig, the top interior depth last year, will be competing for a depth spot as well.
Wilson and Justin Fields were the two most sacked quarterbacks in the NFL last season. They like to extend plays with their legs and have the slowest time to throw in the league as a result. A beefed-up offensive line should help offset some of the struggles that come with that. Fields held onto the ball for an average of 3.12 seconds per passing play last season and took 44 sacks, while Wilson held onto the ball for 2.99 seconds on average and took 45 sacks last season.
In 2023, the Steelers quarterbacks took a combined 36 sacks, with Kenny Pickett taking 23, Mitch Trubisky taking seven, and Mason Rudolph taking six. But that was with Moore and Mason Cole starting almost every game. Fautanu and Frazier have a chance to be big upgrades, and Jones has another year of experience under his belt.
Wilson spent most of his career with the Seattle Seahawks, and they could never quite drill down the offensive line during his tenure there. He was constantly among the most sacked quarterbacks in the league. He is currently fifth on the list of the most sacked quarterbacks in league history with 527 sacks taken and has a chance to move into the top three, surpassing Ben Roethlisberger’s 554.
Baldinger thinks this extra protection for Wilson is going to pay off in a big way.
“I expect somewhere around the 30-touchdown mark would be the base for Russell Wilson this year,” Baldinger said. “Last year, they had 13 touchdown passes between the three quarterbacks, I expect that to more than double this year.”
