The Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t deluding themselves into thinking Aaron Rodgers can recapture some of the mobility from earlier in his career. They know it’s an issue, but his signing might actually be an endorsement of what they think about their young offensive line.
“They know the mobility is an issue, they’re not hiding from that,” Fowler said via ESPN’s SportsCenter this morning. “So the offensive line is going to have to be good. But in Rodgers’ talks with the Steelers, they were sure that he’s been keeping in good shape. He’s been training out in LA.”
At 41 years old and turning 42 towards the end of the season, the mobility isn’t going to get better. It may be more consistent than last year, as he was recovering from an Achilles injury in 2023 and dealt with other minor injuries along the way. Still, his elite pocket mobility from earlier in his career is gone.
The young offensive line, consisting of two first-round tackles and a second-round center, has to start giving returns equal to what the team invested in them. Pittsburgh’s strategy of going all-in and waiting on Rodgers all offseason might show what the team privately thinks of that group.
Zach Frazier accomplished great things as a rookie despite a broken leg towards the end of his final year in college and an ankle injury that forced him to miss time last season. He is poised to become one of the best centers in the league this year. It can’t be overstated how important that is for the group as a whole.
Aside from Isaac Seumalo, the rest of the group is relatively young. Broderick Jones and Troy Fautanu are the two biggest question marks, but Jones showed up in the best shape of his life to spring practices and finally gets to play his natural position at left tackle. Teammates have been raving about how comfortable he looks back on the left. Fautanu only had one start last season, but it was an impressive debut. He might have his ups and downs, but as long as he can stay healthy, he should be a significant upgrade over last season.
Mason McCormick impressed as a fourth-round rookie. He probably wasn’t ready to enter the starting lineup when he did, but James Daniels’ injury forced the issue. That early experience should help speed up his progress.
This is also the first time the starting offensive line has been known entering the season in quite some time. More time together on the field will make them much more effective as a whole.
Rodgers was sacked 40 times last season, but that was on the second-most dropbacks in the league. His sack percentage was actually pretty low despite protection issues in New York. Hopefully, the line can give him more time to throw, but he is one of the best at getting the ball out early if needed. His time to throw of 2.69 seconds last season was the sixth-fastest mark in the league.
A successful run game also goes hand in hand with limiting Rodgers’ exposure and the need for his mobility. The Jets threw the ball almost two-thirds of the time last year and put the entire offense on Rodgers’ shoulders. The Steelers were on the opposite end of the spectrum and ran the ball the fourth most in the league. Balance will play a significant role in protecting Rodgers and limiting his exposure to the limitations of his mobility.
