Over the past few weeks, the Steelers’ offensive line has been getting its footing. The unit that’s packed with young, up-and-coming talent has been playing more cohesively of late, and it has gotten the attention of former Raiders and Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden.
More specifically, the young duo of Troy Fautanu and Mason McCormick.
“When you watch the right side Fautanu, 76, and McCormick, 66, I love guys that run their feet… they run their feet through the whistle, man,” said Gruden in his preview of the Steelers vs Packers upcoming game. “They are fighting their ass off, they are athletic, they can really move… The right side is eye-popping to me at times.”
The Steelers have reaped the benefits of their investment in the offensive line over the last few weeks, particularly on the right side in the run game. As Steelers Depot’s Josh Carney noted in a piece Tuesday regarding the run game, Jaylen Warren is averaging 6.35 yards per running to his right, while Kenneth Gainwell is averaging 5.6 yards per carry to the right.
Those are significantly higher than the average to the left (3.6 YPC for Warren, 4.13 for Gainwell).
For McCormick, it’s his second season in the NFL and his second season starting, so it’s encouraging to see him continue to progress with experience. Perhaps more shocking is the play of Fautanu, who, like McCormick, is in his second NFL season, but didn’t have the luxury of getting meaningful snaps. He struggled with injuries early in the year and eventually suffered a season-ending injury after his sole start.
With added experience and chemistry playing together now through six games, their improved play has been evident.
It should also be noted that Gruden gave love to Fautanu and McCormick’s draftmate Zach Frazier. He called Frazier a “hell of a player,” noting that after a great rookie year, he has continued to get better. Gruden also circled Broderick Jones, saying he struggled in the team’s first two games and received warranted flak for it, but praised his recent play.
“If you watch him [Jones] carefully, he’s getting better and better,” said Gruden.
In short, Gruden is bullish on the Steelers’ offensive line and their improvement throughout the year, which can be seen in just the difference in offensive efficiency. In the first three games of the season, the Steelers totaled just 189 yards on the ground. Compare that to the last three games, where the team has totaled 378 yards, and it’s been a night-and-day difference.
As Gruden says, “The Steelers offensive line is young, and on the rise.”
Let’s hope they continue to rise as the season goes on.
