Player: OL Dylan Cook
Stock Value: Down
Reasoning: Yes, Dylan Cook is still around, but is he going anywhere? After the Steelers re-signed Calvin Anderson on a two-year contract, it’s back down the batting order for Cook. Having already missed the 53-man roster in 2024, he will have another potential uphill battle this year.
Dylan Cook has never played a snap in the NFL, but he sure has plenty of transactions. With the Steelers since 2023, he has already spent time on the practice squad, the 53-man roster, and the Reserve/Injured List. With the team re-signing Calvin Anderson, particularly on a two-year deal, it doesn’t seem Cook is set to advance.
Dylan Cook is entering his fourth NFL season, and third with the Steelers. Of his first three seasons, he only spent one on the 53-man roster. That would be in 2023, during which he served as the ninth lineman, typically a healthy scratch.
The hope at the time was that the Steelers could develop Cook, potentially turning him into a swing tackle. Also boasting guard flexibility, perhaps his future might have even been inside. But he didn’t seem to take a step forward last season—indeed, perhaps he took a step back.
An injury landed Cook on the Steelers’ IR initially. After they activated him on Hallow’s Eve, they released him the following day. In the first week of November, Cook signed with the Steelers’ practice squad, and he remained there for the rest of the season.
Even when Calvin Anderson spent time on IR himself last season, the Steelers did not promote Dylan Cook. Instead, they used Max Scharping as an emergency swing tackle. By that time, Cook was healthy, so the fact that they overlooked him is a concern.
Now they have brought back Anderson, but Dan Moore Jr. is also gone. At the same time, Troy Fautanu is back, so that’s really a push. As it stands, Anderson is in line to be the Steelers’ swing tackle. Can Dylan Cook push for that role himself? Or perhaps he is better off kicking inside, competing with Spencer Anderson and Ryan McCollum to be the top backup guard?
With the new league year underway and the Steelers turning their roster over, it’s once again time to “take stock”. It took a while, but we finally saw some of that change the team talked about after the season ended. Certainly, the move to trade for WR DK Metcalf qualifies as a change, not to mention the accompanying contract.
There is still a long way to go before we know what this Steelers team is going to look like. Once the dust settles on free agency, we turn our attention to the draft, and so on. What other moves might the team make, perhaps unexpected acquisitions or departures? If they traded for one player, they could certainly trade for another, or trade one away. This is a Steelers team starving for postseason success, but how desperate are they for a playoff win in 2025?
