Steelers Can’t Waste Time With The Wrong Offensive Line
Credit: Barry Reeger-USA TODAY Sports
Over the last three seasons, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive line has been abysmal, especially compared to the previous decade, when they had arguably the best line in the NFL. The good thing is that they’ve taken steps within the last two offseasons to upgrade the line so they can get back to the quality of play fans came to expect during their glory days.
Isaac Seumalo came in as a free agent signing from the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023. As the first piece in their reclamation project, he set the tone by establishing a physical presence immediately. Seumalo is a key piece of the offensive line, but as a left guard, he can only impact the entire line’s outlook so much. Pittsburgh needed to land some cornerstones for the line.
Dan Moore Jr. and Chukwuma Okorafor were entrenched as the starters at tackle, but often struggled, especially in pass protection. While both gave great effort, it just wasn’t up to NFL standards. The center position also needed to be addressed. As the “quarterback” of the offensive line, the center is responsible for making the line calls and setting the protection. Mason Cole was brought in to replace Kendrick Green at the position. While he was better than Green, his play left much to be desired. Something had to be done and fast.
So the Steelers decided to spend invest heavily in the most important spots on the offensive line. Pittsburgh grabbed Broderick Jones with the 17th overall pick in 2023. The following year, they spent their top two picks on linemen in those premium positions, first with tackle Troy Fautanu (No. 20 overall) and center Zach Frazier (No. 51 overall).
Conventional wisdom would tell you that all these picks were plug-and-play linemen. Jones was considered the most athletic tackle in the 2023 Draft, with a great pedigree from a top program in Georgia. Fautanu was considered a top-10 talent in the 2024 Draft, but an early run on quarterbacks allowed him to slip to 20th, where the Steelers gladly gobbled him up. On top of that, scouts believed Frazier was the most experienced center in the draft, if not the best center in the draft. Grabbing him in the second round appeared to be yet another draft-day theft.
It’s a remarkable combination of quality and quantity of offensive line talent in such a short time. Pittsburgh seems to have hit the jackpot. Yet the Steelers have not shown they are willing to throw the guys in the line of fire from Day 1. Jones didn’t become a full-time starter until Week 9 last season. Even then, it wasn’t at his natural or preferred left tackle spot.
Fautanu currently is taking some reps with the starters but finds himself sitting behind Jones at right tackle. Frazier’s situation looks to be even more dire, as he is not even practicing with the first unit at all. The question is, why invest so heavily in offensive linemen so early unless you’re willing to allow them to play right away?
While rookies need to earn their jobs, offensive lines also need time to gel together as a unit. Why waste valuable practice time making guys sit behind players they are more talented than? While it’s still early, aren’t the Steelers best served with their five best linemen working together as much as possible?
Mike Tomlin’s reputation for slow-playing rookies notwithstanding, Moore Jr was given the job from Day 1 as a fourth-round pick in 2021. He didn’t have to sit and wait. The aforementioned Green, who is no longer on the team, was given the center starting job in Ben Rothisberger’s final season. This was despite him having never played the position in his life. Yet Frazier, who had 37 straight starts at center for West Virginia, has to sit and wait?
Fautanu looks like he actually might be the Steelers’ best tackle based on what we are seeing at camp, but he apparently needs to earn his stripes. For a team that has deep playoff run aspirations, it doesn’t appear that they are in any hurry to get these top guys on the field. We all love Moore Jr., but after three seasons, we know what he is. Jones is simply better. It’s time for him to take over the position full-time. How Jones is a swing tackle at this point is baffling.
Some will say we have to trust the coaching staff, as they are the paid professionals who see these guys every day. Yet the fans know what we see. We know talent when we see it, and we know how important it is to get the line together, in gear, and in synch. With Arthur Smith emphasizing the run game, Pittsburgh doesn’t have the luxury of wasting time with their young offensive linemen.
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