The Pittsburgh Steelers are down another offensive lineman in Week 7 against the New York Jets, but help could be on the way in the trenches.
The Steelers opened the 21-day practice window for offensive tackle Dylan Cook Thursday, the team announced.
Cook remains on the Reserve/Injured list and the Steelers have 21 days to activate him to their 53-mqn roster, or he will remain on Injured Reserve.
Cook suffered a foot injury sometime during the preseason and was placed on IR back on Aug. 27. With Troy Fautanu on IR and likely out until next season, Cook will be the swing tackle in case Dan Moore Jr. or Broderick Jones suffer an injury. As it stands now, Calvin Anderson is the Steelers’ swing tackle after they signed him Sept. 23 to back up Dan Moore Jr. and Broderick Jones following Fautanu’s injury.
Cook will help provide a little depth for an offensive line that has unfortunately been decimated by injury. Fautanu, OG James Daniels, and C Nate Herbig are all on IR while Isaac Seumalo and more recently Zach Frazier have dealt with injuries this season.
After going undrafted in 2022 Cook signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before landing with the Steelers in 2023. He has 214 preseason snaps in his career but has not played in the regular season. Given the current depth of the line, chances are good he will play a snap at some point, maybe even as a tackle-eligible in some of the Steelers’ personnel packages.
During the preseason in 2023, Cook impressed and earned a 53-man roster spot. He did not play in a game last season but was a player the Steelers were intrigued by and have continued to work to develop under offensive line coach Pat Meyer.
Prior to joining the Steelers, Cook spent time with the Buccaneers and was primarily a left tackle, where his athletic profile as a former college quarterback was rather intriguing. He had some ups and downs with the Buccaneers, but settled in well with the Steelers, playing both left and right tackle.
Though he’s missed all of the season, opening up the window for him to return and bringing that size and athleticism to the trenches could be a nice boost for a position group that’s really struggled with injuries.
