With Isaac Seumalo still limited in practice by a pectoral injury suffered before the season, the Pittsburgh Steelers plan to start OG Mason McCormick on Sunday, per Mark Kaboly of The Pat McAfee Show.
“The Steelers’ plan right now is to give fourth-round left guard rookie McCormick the first start of his career Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts replacing Spencer Anderson — who was replacing the injured veteran Isaac Seumalo,” Kaboly wrote in an article on Twitter.
Spencer Anderson started the first three games of the season, but he and McCormick rotated in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Chargers. McCormick played relatively well, not allowing a pressure in 13 pass-blocking snaps and showing good power in finishing his blocks. The Steelers could stick to the same rotation on Sunday if Seumalo remains out, but it sounds like it’ll be McCormick getting his first career start in Week 4.
A fourth-round pick out of South Dakota State, McCormick was in a competition with Anderson to start initially at left guard after Seumalo went down in practice. But Anderson, who filled in with the majority of the first-team reps when Seumalo got rest days during training camp, won out. Through two weeks, though, the Steelers wanted to see what McCormick could do. That led to the rotation, which was planned ahead of time, and McCormick also saw some tackle-eligible snaps on Sunday.
It’ll be a big opportunity for McCormick to prove his value to the Steelers, especially with RG James Daniels a free agent after this season. If the team doesn’t re-sign Daniels, then either McCormick or Anderson would be in line to take his starting job. If McCormick can impress again in a game setting, he could earn a leg up for the future and surpass Anderson as Pittsburgh’s top backup guard.
It doesn’t come as a huge surprise that McCormick is starting, given the rotation in Week 3. Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said it was a real possibility during his weekly chat.
When Seumalo returns, which is still possible for this week but more likely in Week 5 against the Dallas Cowboys, he’ll reclaim his starting spot, so it might just be a one-week audition as a starter for McCormick. But it’ll be a big one for him to help the team continue their rushing attack and keep QB Justin Fields upright as he looks to prove he’s worthy of a starting job in the future.
