The Steelers’ decision to carry four quarterbacks on the 53-man roster is looking a lot less harmless now that the offensive line is already in trouble.
Former Pittsburgh guard Willie Colon said the roster choice feels even sharper in hindsight, especially with injuries piling up early and the front five struggling to hold together. His point was blunt: the Steelers may have been better off keeping 10 offensive linemen instead of stockpiling quarterbacks.
"This goes back to why a lot of people were kind of scratching their heads when you keep four quarterbacks. When you look at the state of the offensive line, they should have kept 10 offensive linemen for what they're going through right now," Colon said on the "In the Locker Room" podcast.
"... And now we're looking at a 42-year-old quarterback who looks like he's aging by the minute, so we may have to shore up protections and we may have to add more reinforcements up front to keep him upright."
The offense has opened the season in rough shape. Through the first stretch, Pittsburgh has posted the league’s worst EPA per play at -0.39, according to SumerSports, and the line has been at the center of it all.
The numbers paint a bleak picture. The Steelers have generated the fewest yards per contact at eight, while giving up six sacks and a 43.8 percent pressure rate, also per SumerSports. That kind of heat up front leaves little room for the offense to settle in.
Right guard Spencer Anderson had already been one of the line’s weaker spots over the first two games, and now he’s dealing with a bone break suffered in Week 2 against the New England Patriots. He remains active for now, but it’s fair to wonder how close he really is to full strength.
There’s more bad news on the interior. Rookie guard Gennings Dunker showed up on the injury report with a knee issue this week, his long-term status still unclear. He has already been ruled out for the Week 3 game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Pittsburgh has been mixing and matching up front in the lead-up to that matchup, and the clearest path forward may be to make changes rather than keep searching for a patchwork fix. Brock Hoffman could step into the starting job at right guard for Anderson, while first-round pick Max Iheanachor could take over at right tackle for Dylan Cook.
Even with those options, the Steelers could use more help on the roster. The lack of depth, the lack of production and now the injuries on the interior make another offensive lineman look like a practical need.
Cutting one of the quarterbacks, either Will Howard or Mason Rudolph, does not appear to be the move right now. Still, the Steelers may have boxed themselves in by keeping both instead of using that roster spot on another lineman.
"Once you made the decision to keep Aaron Rodgers this year, you knew he was gonna have to operate where he was gonna be able to deliver the football from a well, and protection had to be the first concern behind getting the run game going," Colon said. "So it's weird because, listen, you wanna keep four quarterbacks, keep four quarterbacks.
"But now we're in a pickle where, because we walked into the season with a lack of tackle depth, now we're leaning on our guards to kind of fill some of those roles. Now we're starting to get thin."
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Still, the bigger concern sits on the other side of the ball. Pittsburghs defense showed some vulnerabilities in the 30-27 win, and the absence of Joey Porter Jr. was hard to miss as Cincinnati found enough success to keep the game tight throughout. The Steelers can take comfort in finally seeing signs of life on offense, but they also know the next stretch will tell a lot about whether that improvement is sustainable if the defense remains a little less sure of itself. [Read more 🡒]