The Steelers have spent years trying to get back to the kind of offensive line that once made life miserable for defenses. Back when David DeCastro and Maurkice Pouncey anchored the group, Pittsburgh could line up with Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, and Le'Veon Bell and know the front was built to hold up. That version of the unit faded after the 2020 season, but last year brought signs of a real climb.
Now the next step depends on camp, and one of the biggest questions is on the right side. Broderick Jones is expected to arrive with a lingering neck injury, and 2026 first-round pick Max Iheanachor is still a raw tackle prospect. That leaves Pittsburgh needing a steady answer to keep Aaron Rodgers upright.
Dylan Cook may already be that answer.
Cook gave the Steelers a strong five-game run as a starter last season, and the numbers back up what the eye test suggested. Pro Football Focus gave him a 79.3 pass-blocking grade, which ranked 11th among NFL tackles.
He landed in a pretty good neighborhood, too, sitting between Bills Pro Bowl tackle Dion Dawkins and the Seahawks' Charles Cross. That came in just 348 total snaps, but it was enough to show he can handle himself in pass protection and contribute in the run game as well.
There’s a path where Iheanachor’s draft status and raw talent push him into the mix quickly. But once the pads come on in Latrobe, Cook still looks like the safer bet to start the season.
That’s especially true with Rodgers at quarterback. If Pittsburgh believes it can compete with him under center, it probably won’t want to throw a developmental tackle into the fire unless it has no other choice.
If Cook holds down right tackle the way he handled the left side last season, and if Spencer Anderson, Brock Hoffman, or Dunker steps up at right guard, the Steelers could be staring at their best offensive line in more than five years.
In Other News...
Why Steelers Fans Suddenly Believe This New Era Could Change Everything
The Steelers are entering a different kind of offseason conversation now that the coaching staff has been reshaped around Mike McCarthy and Patrick Graham. For a fan base that has spent years measuring every move against stability, the appeal is obvious: a fresh voice on the sideline, a new direction on defense, and the sense that the roster could be organized with a more modern, aggressive plan in mind.
Pittsburghs optimism is being fueled by the idea that the changes could pay off on both sides of the ball, with the defense expected to look sharper under Graham and the offense drawing plenty of attention as the pieces come together. The bigger question is whether those changes can actually translate into the kind of leap people around the team are already starting to imagine, because the ceiling being discussed now is far higher than what Steelers fans have been used to hearing. [Read more 🡒]
Ryan Clark Unleashed On ESPN After Stunning Exit
Ryan Clarks exit from ESPN landed with extra force in Pittsburgh, where he remains one of the more recognizable former Steelers voices in national media. The longtime analyst had spent more than a decade at the network and was a regular on NFL programming, so his departure was notable even before he started talking publicly about how it happened.
Clark has since pushed back on the way the move was described, saying on his podcast that he was fired and suggesting there was more going on behind the scenes than a standard round of layoffs. For Steelers fans who followed his post-playing career closely, the bigger question now is what comes next for one of the franchises most outspoken alumni in the NFL media space. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Just Got A New Reason To Worry About Joey Porter Jr
The Steelers have another cornerback-market development to keep an eye on as they work through the long-term picture with Joey Porter Jr. Christian Gonzalez is in the same draft class as Porter and has quickly become one of the leagues most promising young cover men, which already made him a useful benchmark for any extension talks involving Pittsburghs own rising defender.
Now the Patriots have put a new layer on that conversation by making Gonzalez a contract offer that could reset the top of the position. For the Steelers, that matters because any new standard at cornerback tends to ripple quickly, and Porters camp will have plenty of reason to watch how this plays out as Pittsburgh continues sorting out its next major homegrown deal. [Read more 🡒]