Who are going to be the starting five offensive linemen when the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense takes the field for the first time in the regular season? That has been up in the air ever since the team used three of its first five picks on offensive linemen in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Injuries have further complicated the competitions with OG Isaac Seumalo out for three or four weeks due to a pectoral injury, and Troy Fautanu just starting to return from his minor knee injury suffered in the preseason.
The Steelers’ website posted photos from today’s practice taken by Karl Roser, and they may have tipped their hand at who the starting five will ultimately be. Follow that link and it is the fourth photo in the gallery.
With Russell Wilson, the recently named starter, at quarterback, you can see Dan Moore Jr. at left tackle, Spencer Anderson at left guard, Zach Frazier at center, and Broderick Jones at right tackle. James Daniels is not in the photo, but his job is secure at right guard. Could that be the intended starting five when the Steelers open their season Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons?
It would certainly make a lot of sense. Jones has been working at right tackle for most of the offseason. He was getting more left tackle work prior to Fautanu’s injury but has almost exclusively been on the right since then. That obviously leaves Moore on the left side. Even if Fautanu was healthy, he had been competing for the right tackle job prior to injury.
Anderson at left guard is more notable. Rookie OG Mason McCormick has impressed the Steelers throughout the offseason. Both McCormick and Anderson received first-team reps throughout training camp when Seumalo had veteran days off. That being said, it has been Anderson who has entered the preseason games first when Seumalo has come out.
ESPN’s Brooke Pryor reported earlier Monday that Anderson appears to be in line for the Week 1 start at left guard, so that all checks out.
This obviously isn’t set in stone until Mike Tomlin announces it or the official depth chart is released later this week, but it is a pretty strong indication of what to expect.
Last year it was Dan Moore Jr., Isaac Seumalo, Mason Cole, James Daniels, and Chukwuma Okorafor as the Week 1 starting offensive line. That is a pretty big change in this year’s group. Jones and Anderson are both second-year players while Frazier is a rookie. They have to manage a lot of youth along the line, which probably includes growing pains early in the season. Fortunately, Seumalo should be returning by about the fourth game when the Steelers take on the Indianapolis Colts.
This could also be a preview of what is to come. Anderson, Jones, and Frazier could be three of the starting five for the future. Fautanu and McCormick are also in those plans, too.
