For years, the Pittsburgh Steelers have struggled to get going offensively. Part of that has been due to their poor offensive line. However, in the last few years, they’ve been aggressive trying to fix that unit. That includes spending draft capital in 2024 on Troy Fautanu, Zach Frazier, and Mason McCormick. Now, going into the 2025 season, that group is facing a lot of pressure, and Fautanu is aware of that.
“I feel like all our personalities are jelling together,” Fautanu said Saturday after the Steelers’ 17-14 preseason loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers via The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo on Twitter. “We all are very similar in a way where we really want this to work. It has to work. Isaac Williams, our coach, had said that no one’s coming to save us. This is what we’ve got. This is the room that we’re going with into the season, and that’s the mindset that we’re going into.”
Along with the three rookies from last year, the Steelers’ starting offensive line this year should also consist of Broderick Jones and Isaac Seumalo. While Seumalo is a veteran, Jones is another young player the Steelers are expecting more from. The 2023 first-round pick was disappointing last season but more recently he’s improved.
Aaron Rodgers being under center likely puts even more pressure on the Steelers’ offensive line. He’s not the same player that he once was, but he’s still a future Hall of Famer. The Steelers signed him in the hope that he could help turn them into a Super Bowl contender. However, it’s going to be difficult to do that if the offensive line can’t protect him.
Luckily, there have been a lot of encouraging signs from the Steelers’ young offensive linemen. They’ve all looked solid in the preseason. Frazier has had a few issues with low snaps, but hopefully he has that corrected by the time the regular season starts.
Health was a big factor that held the Steelers’ offensive line back last year, so hopefully that isn’t the case again this season. Mike Tomlin has also acknowledged that there’s a lot riding on that group. Much like in the early 2010s, the Steelers have invested a lot into their offensive line. If that group fails, that could set their offense back a few years. For a team with championship aspirations, that wouldn’t be ideal.
