Pittsburgh Steelers’ Wants, Needs, and Prospects – Offensive Line

Previous Steelers Roster Overview Series 

Part 1 – The Defensive Line

Is there anyone in Steelers Nation who hasn’t cheered Omar Khan and Andy Weidl’s devotion toward building the Steelers offensive line? They seem to be obsessed with building this team from the trenches out – and lord bless them for it, because that is Steelers football! The problems started before the Khan/Weidl regime came in, with the untimely retirement of Pouncey, and then DeCastro, and then the QB (Roethlisberger) who could cover up the OL gaps. It wasn’t good.

Now, however, we’ve seen four (!) early OL draft picks in two years, plus three quality free agent signings. That’s an absolutely massive level of investment. Fans hoped for great things in 2024, but a series of disasters undid us yet again.

• Broderick Jones failed to make the hoped for Sophomore Leap, then got hampered by injury for the first part of the year, and then played only a little better than he had as a rookie;
• Nate Herbig was lost to a season ending shoulder injury in mid-August;
• Troy Fautanu was lost to a season ending knee dislocation in early September;
• Isaac Seumalo was lost for more than a month to a torn pec; and
• James Daniels was lost to a season ending torn Achilles in late September.

Suffice it to say, the line played solid+ football for much of the year, but looked poor during the terrible five game slide at the end. Time to dive in to the current roster as we approach free agency and the 2025 NFL draft.

THE EXISTING ROSTER

• T/G Broderick Jones. Turns 24 in May. Going into Year 3. The Steelers’ Round 1 pick in 2023 came with descriptions along these lines: “Gifted by the football gods with every athletic asset to be a star offensive tackle, but astonishingly young, astonishingly raw, and all but certain to require 2-3 years of hard work before he begins to hit his stride.” Jones started at right tackle almost right away, looked good for a few games, and then began to struggle as opponents built up enough film to figure out his flaws. Fans have offered every explanation in the book for those struggles. ‘He should have been playing on the left instead of the right! The coaches have mishandled his development! He’s an incompetent [nasty word] who was only picked because the decision makers are morons and I should be in charge! He’s been injured! He’s been picked on! The blocking scheme is awful!’ And more. But the reality is much simpler. This is exactly what we predicted.

Offensive line play requires tight, exacting technique on every play, with a high (but not too high) level of aggression. Lineman aren’t hitters striving to go 1 for 3. They’re hurlers who lose their job if they give up a homer on even 3% of their pitches. The young Mr. Jones has enough inconsistencies to make him vulnerable against opponents who’ve spent 80 hour weeks studying his film. Was he better in Year 2 than Year 1? Yes. Will he ‘get it’ before or during Year 3, as originally predicted? Hopefully. But not another flat out “yes.”

NOTE: Broderick Jones would make a fine guard even if he ultimately fails on the edge. It’s something to consider when it comes to depth. That said, his current technique issues are severe enough to prevent success at that position too, though he’d probably “get it” a little faster.

• T/G Troy Fautanu. Turns 25 in October. Going into Year 2. The team’s Round 1 pick in 2024 is another athletic genius, but one who came to the league with much better skills in place than Broderick Jones. Which makes a lot of sense, fwiw, since he is a year and a half older than Jones, and played for just about twice the number of college games and snaps. Fautanu’s predraft question marks all went to his lack of height (only 6’3¾”). Would that force him inside to OG? Scouts at all levels had mixed opinions, but the majority believed that his exceptional arm length (34½”), established skills, mobility, athleticism, and experience would be enough to overcome it. And besides, Fautanu would offer Round 1 value even if he was “only” a guard, because he projected as an incredible IOL prospect.

Fautanu looked extremely solid at tackle during his rookie preseason. Indeed, early reports said that Pittsburgh planned to start him over Broderick Jones. Then he suffered a season ending knee dislocation in September, and was relegated to only mental snaps and observation. I cannot wait to see him back in action for 2025.

• CTR Zach Frazier. Turns 24 in August. Going into Year 2. Many readers will remember my 2024 panic about the empty roster at center as draft day arrived. Zach Frazier was my #2 guy, behind only Graham Barton (who went to Tampa Bay in the late 1st and played very well). Frazier, the Steelers’ Round 2 pick, would have been tied with Barton if we’d realized how high his ceiling could be. This was the team’s rookie of the year, and it wasn’t even close. Heck, he may prove to be their rookie of the decade.
• OG Mason McCormick. Turns 25 in May. Going into Year 2. Pittsburgh’s Round 4 pick of last year got rushed into service much faster than we hoped. First, to replace OG Isaac Seumalo after a pectoral injury, and then to replace star RG James Daniels after he tore an Achilles in late September. McCormick played at a competent NFL level, which is waaaaay beyond what anyone might have expected. But will he grow to be more than competent? The potential is there for a Sophomore Leap, but that is a hope more than an expectation.
• OG Isaac Seumalo. Turns 32 in October. Under contract for 2025, but not 2026. Seumalo arrival in 2023 was a fabulous move. He stabilized the left side of the line next to Dan Moore Jr., and by all reports became a mentor in professionalism for the entire room. He looked much less impressive in 2024, particularly toward the end of the year. The big question is why. 32 isn’t “old” for a lineman, but it’s well on the way to getting there. Has Seumalo reached the end of his career? Did his early season pectoral injury linger, and limit his play? Or was there an unreported injury?

Everyone hopes it was the injury bug, because Seumalo projects to be more important than ever in 2025. The starting left tackle is going to be either Broderick Jones, who’d be switching sides for the first time as a pro, or Troy Fautanu, who’d be playing his first NFL season. Mentoring aside, the team needs someone like him to ensure clear lines of communication between the young tackle and the equally new center.

• OG James Daniels. Turns 28 in September. Unrestricted Free Agent. The Steelers brought Daniels on board in 2022 on a free agency contract worth ≈ $7 Million a/p/y. He earned every penny of that until the injury last September. At least imho. The team had declined to extend his contract back in June of 2024. That pronanly had more to do with the stunning jump in free agent OG salaries than anything about Daniels himself, but it suggests that he’s likely to find a new home during this year’s free agency session.

The joker in that calculation is Daniels’ torn Achilles. This will depress his value on the market significantly. Will he end up signing a more reasonably priced, 1-year “show me” deal for 2025? Mason McCormick would no doubt step in again if Daniels departs, but then we’d be looking at a potential depth problem in addition to the step down of experience.

• OT Dan Moore Jr. Turns 27 in September. Unrestricted Free Agent. The man everyone loves to hate transformed during 2024. First from, “I can’t believe he’s still here” into “OMG, how will this team survive without him?” And then toward the end of the season into, “Okay, I guess he really is just a guy.” Pittsburgh’s Round 4 pick in 2021 has started in every year he’s been here, stayed healthy, displayed a fabulous work ethic and exemplary team spirit, and continued to improve with every new chapter of the book. Embarrassed fans will no doubt say he’s now maxed out as the world’s best backup and shrug-level starter. But why believe that when another step forward in Year 5 would bring him completely up to NFL standards, and continued improvement in Year 6 would make him special?

Dan Moore Jr. will hit free agency in 2025, and that rosier view will convince at least one team to sign him for an amount that his detractors will gape at. Some quick research says the average 2024 salary for a starting NFL left tackle on his second contract was a gasp-worthy $25-$28 Million a/p/y. Mr. Moore may or may not reach those exact numbers, but even a $10-$15 Million contract would price him out of Pittsburgh, which has two Round 1 picks in the wings. Give the man his farewell party with an all you can eat coupon from Big Shot Bob’s, shake his hand, and wish him bon voyage. I certainly do. He’s been a very good Steeler despite all the abuse from those who should have been rooting him on. Opinionated? Me? Never.

• G/C Nate Herbig. Turns 27 in July. Signed through 2025. Herbig came into 2024 as the designated starter in the middle of the line, only to lose his spot to a torn rotator cuff in August. Thank heaven Zach Frazier did so well! Herbig epitomizes the quality IOL backup. He’s a wily, 3-postion vet who won’t make mistakes, but isn’t special enough to do more than his part on any given down.
• OT Calvin Anderson. Turns 29 in March. Unrestricted Free Agent. Calvin Anderson inked a two year, $7 Million a/p/y deal with New England in 2023, but ran into health issues and got released. The Steelers picked him up on a 1-year deal in 2024, and kept him on the roster as depth. He played only 11 snaps and gave up a sack, but he’s also supposed to be a very impressive young man as a human being, and the word on the street has been that Pittsburgh really likes him as a depth player. I’ve little doubt the team would like to keep him, though it might be at a somewhat lower price if Omar Khan can work his magic. If both Dan Moore Jr. and Calvin Anderson depart, the team will have zero depth behind the two young starters. A backup quality, midlevel Tackle would instantly become a free agency/draft priority.
• OG Spencer Anderson. Turns 25 in June. On Year 3 of his rookie deal. The 7th Round pick in 2023 became a preseason star for in-the-know fans, to the point where Pittsburgh had no problem plugging him in when James Daniels got hurt. Mason McCormick eventually beat him out, but it was a back and forth competition. The combination of Herbig and Anderson should provide the 2025 Steelers with excellent depth if Seumalo returns to form for the 2025 run. If Seumalo decides to retire (pure speculation, not news), expect the team to target a high ceilinged prospect in the draft. Tomlin loves competition, and both McCormick and Anderson are young enough to need it.
• OT Dylan Cook. Turned 27 in January. Deep depth going into Year 3. Tampa signed him as a 2022 UDFA, and then released him in 2023. He’s now spent two years on the Steelers practice squad, and has looked good enough to earn a “Why Would They Risk Him?” article when Cook was waived in 2004.
• TE Darnell Washington, 6-7, with 34⅜” arms, and 300-310 lbs. if reports during the season are true. During the early 1970s the Steelers had one of the best blocking TEs in football. His name was Larry Brown. Brown slid over to tackle in 1977 and never looked back. He anchored the Pittsburgh line through 1984.

Darnell Washington has tackle height, tackle-length arms, has reportedly grown into the size of an NFL tackle, and has room on his frame to get bigger still. He was the Round 3 pick in the same year that Broderick Jones was chosen in Round 1, and has now proven to be a phenomenal blocker… for a TE. Does he have a true chance at tackle if things go south for Jones or Fautanu? I’m not saying ‘yes.’ I’ll even say ‘doubtful.’ But I won’t say ‘no.’

ANALYSIS

The offensive line wasn’t close to being a strength in 2024, but it’s hard to blame that on the front office. The investments have all looked sound, and they haven’t been small. Daniels, Seumalo, and Herbig all proved to be quality free agent signings. And the team has spent four (4!) early picks on the OL during the last two drafts; all of whom had starts during the season if you include Fautanu’s brief stint. I’d rather blame a person – I am an American after all – but due credit needs to go toward the slew of injuries, and the lack of experience both individually (particularly Broderick Jones and Mason McCormick) and as a unit. It’s reasonable to expect a noticeable step forward in 2025 (injuries aside), with the OL becoming a genuine strength in 2026. The departure of James Daniels would definitely be a blow, but it would be more than outweighed by those improvements.

Does that mean the team can ignore the OL during free agency and the 2025 draft? I’m afraid not.

First, the Steelers won’t have a truly great line until they find another star to play at guard. It isn’t a “need” by any means, but the OL-obsessed Weidle and Khan would think long and hard before passing over the next Faneca or DeCastro. Next, you may have noted that Nate Herbig is penciled in as the primary backup at both guard and center. That’s never wise, and Hebig’s contract expires after this year, so a midround pick would be well spent on someone with the same kind of flexible skill set. There’s also a chance that Seumalo might retire when his contract also ends after the 2025 season. We don’t know if that’s in the cards or not, but the team does. And if it is, planning ahead would be a good idea.

The tackle position basically comes down to growth concerns. Dan Moore Jr. will (and deserves to) cash in on free agency for a contract that Pittsburgh will not match. That leaves a hole. The team has Jones and Fautanu waiting to fill that hole, and I’m morally certain they will get that chance in 2025. And probably 2026 unless there’s an utter disaster. Please join me in petitioning the football gods for both young men to make a major step forward in time for training camp. And please join me in not-so-patiently waiting to find out, because no one reading this post has any right to judge those odds. Any hard opinions say more about the speaker than the player.

As for backups, I believe that Calvin Anderson could hold down the fort at tackle for at least a few games. After that he’ll probably start to suffer because opponents will figure him out. Dylan Cook? He rose over the 2024 preseason from idle dream to idle hope, but neither is enough to count on yet. The pair provide adequate depth behind good starters, but we can’t count on anything beyond that.

So would a tackle pick make sense? Not an early one. No… unless we want to engage in Evil Draft Guru Games. Another Round 1, guard-capable tackle would create competition for Jones and Fautanu. Two bones for three dogs, with the loser sliding inside as a superb guard prospect. It works on paper, but tbh it smells like an idea that only some whacked out, draft obsessed fan could come up with.

What about a tackle pick for depth? That depends on how you view Calvin Anderson and Dylan Cook, but in Round 7 I’d never say never.

THE OFFENSIVE LINE TARGETS

Please DO NOT confuse these for all-teams grades or predictions. I’m offering grade ranges instead of numbers because of the limited amount of need, as described above. Round 1-2 equals a potential star who is guard capable. Cue the Evil Draft Guru music. Everyone else gets a Round 3-5 grade as a potential heir to Seumalo and/or improved IOL depth.

CONCLUSION

The Steelers have two 1st-round OTs who could easily grow into greatness, but are very early on the road toward that lofty goal. Will they get there? That’s going to be the story of the next few years. The depth behind them looks iffy, but of course depth that wasn’t iffy would be starting on some other team.

The Steelers have nice, average players at guard, unless you assume the worst for Seumalo or McCormick. The next Faneca or DeCastro would elevate the line toward being everything we hope for, but is this the year to make another early investment? Nate Herbig and Calvin Anderson appear to be solid depth, but Herbig’s contract ends after this year, and both young men could use come developmental competition.

At center, Zach Frazier looks like a budding star. Herbig provides solid depth behind him, notwithstanding the 2024 injury, but Herbig is also the #1 backup at guard – not a great idea.

I would expect the line-hungry team of Andy Weidl and Omar Khan to leap at any genuine steals, but not for a prospect who only offers fair value.