As we’ve done in previous years, we’re taking a look at those Pittsburgh Steelers under Future contracts for the 2025 offseason — the ones who spent most of, if not the entire year, on the practice squad — and what we can expect from them during training camp and (hopefully) into the regular season. Today, an outlook on OT Dylan Cook.
Dylan Cook/OT Montana – 6064, 308 pounds
After a solid 2023 campaign that saw Cook go from training camp afterthought to sticking on the 53-man roster the entire regular season, hopes were high for 2024. Could Cook push for a swing tackle role? Could a great camp possibly make Dan Moore Jr. expendable? The traits were there. A one-time college quarterback, Cook is athletic and has more refined hand use and technique than expected for someone still relatively new to the position.
But NFL careers aren’t linear. There are ups and downs, especially for those like Cook on the roster fringe. His training camp performance was just average. He worked second-team tackle and was not moved around as frequently as his first year with the team, though that might’ve been a reflection of the depth Pittsburgh built up front, which made versatility less important.
Shortly after camp broke, Cook went down with a foot injury. Out the rest of the preseason, he began the regular season on injured reserve, one of two designated-to-return players as Pittsburgh set their initial 53-man roster. Returning to practice and activated mid-season, he was immediately waived by the team. This was an unusual move, especially considering the injuries at tackle, particularly to rookie Troy Fautanu, but it was a way to get Cook practicing without his injury window closing or needing to keep him on the 53.
He spent the rest of the season on the Steelers’ practice squad, never getting elevated to the Active/Inactive roster. He’s spent two seasons in Pittsburgh without playing an offensive snap. In an Instagram post after the season, Cook acknowledged that the year didn’t go the way he envisioned.
But as quickly as things can falter, they can bounce back. Cook could enter 2025 with a real chance to be a No. 3 tackle. Moore is slated to hit free agency, and tackle competition is currently minimal. Pittsburgh figures to add this offseason. A low-level veteran would be wise, but there’s a clearer path this summer than last training camp.
If Cook can stay healthy and realize the potential he flashed in 2023, returning to the 53-man roster isn’t out of the question. Still, this is a make-or-break camp for Cook. Another season unable to climb the ladder is a signal it’s just not going to happen for him, at least not in Pittsburgh.
