One of the weakest aspects of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ roster is its offensive line depth. The starters have questions, but are an established unit. Everything behind is uncertain. It’s become more complicated this summer because of veteran OT Calvin Anderson’s injury, which has kept him out since the beginning of August. His status remains unclear ahead of the regular season, and the depth behind leaves lots to be desired. Dylan Cook hasn’t logged an NFL snap, while Andrus Peat looked better at guard than tackle and is nearing the end of his career.
It means Pittsburgh should consider external options. Unfortunately, finding good help at offensive tackle is one of the toughest things to do this time of year. Finding the sweet spot of possibilities is still sour—names good enough to consider rostering but bad enough that they could be cut and become available. The pool is always shallow. Despite that, there are still four viable names worth examining come next Tuesday’s cutdowns.
Quick note that all grading and snap counts reference the first two weeks of the preseason and don’t include the finale.
Jackson Barton/Cleveland Browns
An in-division trade is unlikely even if there’s precedent (hello Justin Gilbert and Sammie Coates), but if Barton is cut, Pittsburgh could have interest. Any backup options need to be swing-tackle capable. Pittsburgh no longer has a three-man band at tackle, and they should have no desire to shift Broderick Jones or Troy Fautanu from their spots if injuries arise.
Barton spent his regular season playing right tackle, but played the left side during the preseason. In fact, his exhibition split has been nearly even between left (346) and right (359) heading into the final week of the summer. He could make the 53 but is seemingly—at best—the No. 4 tackle behind Dawand Jones, Jack Conklin, and free agent signing Cornelius Lucas.
A seventh-round pick in 2019, Barton saw his first extensive regular-season snaps in two starts with the Arizona Cardinals last season. Barton has received good marks this preseason, especially in pass protection. There’s enough of a resume here to warrant rostering as a No. 3/No. 4 tackle.
Carter Warren/New York Jets
Warren has loose local ties after playing college ball at Pittsburgh. A fourth-round pick of the New York Jets in 2023, he’s logged 544 regular-season snaps. Those have been mixed at right and left tackle, numbers that carry over into where he’s aligned in preseasons.
Warren is 6’5 with 35 3/8-inch arms and has good size for the position. Local media reports put Warren squarely on the roster bubble and competing with Max Mitchell for a job. With a new regime in place without ties to drafting him, Warren could be cut. New York has an infusion of young tackles in first-rounders Olu Fashanu and Armand Membou.
Joshua Ezeudu/New York Giants
Ezeudu is a more questionable fit. His right tackle experience is limited to what he picked up at North Carolina, and he’s viewed as much as a guard as he could be an offensive tackle. Still, he played 61 snaps at left tackle in the preseason opener and has 402 reps there during the regular season. He lacks ideal height but is built similarly to Troy Fautanu, stockier with good length and overall athleticism.
He’s had a strong preseason as a run blocker and in pass protection, graded as PFF’s No. 8-ranked tackle through the first two preseason games. Fifth-round rookie Marcus Mbow has received high praise this year and could bump Ezeudu off the team. He’s in the final year of his rookie deal with a cheap $1.45 million base salary.
Kadeem Telfort/Green Bay Packers
Rounding out the list with Telfort. Undrafted out of UAB in 2023, he has the least amount of NFL experience and has played just 23 regular-season snaps. All of them came last year. He’s worked at left and right tackle this preseason and has received excellent marks for his pass protection. He’s also a mountain of a man at 6’7, 322 pounds with 36-inch arms.
A lack of experience and athleticism that may not perfectly align with Pittsburgh’s zone scheme are drawbacks. But Telfort has some talent with room to grow. He also might be the most likely name to come available. With Rasheed Walker, Zac Tom, Anthony Belton, and Jordan Morgan, Green Bay looks set at tackle. That leaves Telfort on the outside-looking-in. Maybe he’s not the ideal No. 3 but a No. 4 who can develop at the end of the roster.
