The Steelers waited a long time to see Max Iheanachor in a real game, and when the rookie finally got his chance against the Buffalo Bills, he gave them plenty to work with.
The first-round pick was on the field for a meaningful stretch of snaps, and the full picture was mixed. There was one ugly pass-rush loss that left quarterback Will Howard exposed and ended with Howard taking a huge hit.
But for a debut built on live NFL reps for the first time, Pittsburgh has reason to feel encouraged. Iheanachor looked like a player who can grow into the answer at right tackle.
Athleticism has always been part of the appeal. Iheanachor came into the league after playing soccer and basketball, and his movement traits show up fast. His hips are fluid, his feet are quick, and he moves with a kind of ease that stands out for an offensive lineman.
That showed up clearly on Eli Heidenreich’s rushing touchdown in the third quarter. As Heidenreich took the pitch to the right, Iheanachor fired off the line, climbed to the next level and delivered a strong block on a Bills defender. Heidenreich stayed right behind him into the end zone.
That snap captured the upside in a hurry: burst, motor and the strength to finish at the second level. Those traits give the Steelers more ways to use him at right tackle.
Of course, the tape wasn’t spotless. Two moments drew the most attention for the wrong reasons - a holding penalty and a pass-rush rep that ended in a sack.
The sack was simply a bad rep. Iheanachor guessed wrong, overcommitted and left himself as easy prey for the edge rusher to turn the corner.
The holding call, though, was not nearly as clear-cut as it first looked. He tugged a little on the defender, but the flag seemed harsh. In fact, he was probably closer to being hit with illegal hands to the face on a couple of other snaps than he was to truly earning that holding penalty.
Even with the rough spots, the bigger takeaway is that Iheanachor looked raw rather than overwhelmed. Better pass rushers can still give him problems right now, but that’s part of the learning curve, not a final verdict. With more reps and more coaching, the Steelers should be happy with where this is headed.
Pittsburgh’s latest roster move only adds to that feeling. Sending former first-round pick Broderick Jones to the Dallas Cowboys signals just how much the organization believes in Iheanachor. The Steelers have invested another first-round pick in him, and early signs suggest they may have hit on it.
The offensive line still has questions, and Iheanachor still has work to do. But the way the Steelers are operating says they think they’ve found their right tackle.
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Mike McCarthy said Elliott has made progress, but the soreness he felt after a preseason game was enough to push the team toward caution. Pittsburgh now has three other safeties on the roster to lean on in the meantime, and Elliott is not expected to be eligible to return until Oct. 11 against the Indianapolis Colts, giving the Steelers at least a short-term depth problem to sort out on the back end. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Final Running Back Decision Just Got A Lot Tougher
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Eli Heidenreich emerged as the rookie who stayed, earning the third running back job and giving Pittsburgh a younger piece to carry into the season. Even after the roster is official, the position still feels unsettled in a way the Steelers will have to manage, especially after a summer in which Nichols looked like he had forced his way into the conversation. [Read more 🡒]