It wasn’t that long ago that the Pittsburgh Steelers boasted one of the best offensive lines in the NFL with Alejandro Villanueva, Ramon Foster, Maurkice Pouncey, David DeCastro, and Marcus Gilbert. The interior three were together from 2013-2019, and most years featured multiple Pro Bowl selections along the line. Three different players were named to the Pro Bowl in back-to-back years in 2017 and 2018. They have not had a single Pro Bowl selection since 2020 when the offensive line started its first overhaul.
The first attempt at re-tooling the unit did not work, but one offensive line expert thinks the latest overhaul could bring better fortune. Trench Warfare’s Brandon Thorn joined Robert Mays on The Athletic Football Show this morning and discussed how some of the young offensive linemen in Pittsburgh could transform the unit.
“I really like what they’ve done with the offensive line with kind of the injection of youth,” Thorn said. “I think this has the chance to be the best Steelers offensive line that we’ve seen since the Foster-Pouncey-DeCastro days. So I think that’s what we’re seeing here.”
He mentioned that Isaac Seumalo was the best offensive linemen for the team entering the 2023 season, and there’s a chance he finishes this season as the third or fourth best. That would of course be because of the emergence of rookie C Zach Frazier and rookie OT Troy Fautanu as well as the continued development of second-year OT Broderick Jones.
The bar isn’t particularly high for the offensive line groups since Foster, Pouncey, and DeCastro last took the field together. The team started two rookies in 2021 with Dan Moore Jr. and Kendrick Green being thrust into action before they were ready. With the level of investment in the current group, they had better clear that low bar.
| Year | LT | LG | C | RG | RT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Alejandro Villanueva | Ramon Foster | Maurkice Pouncey | David DeCastro | Marcus Gilbert |
| 2019 | Alejandro Villanueva | Ramon Foster | Maurkice Pouncey | David DeCastro | Matt Feiler |
| 2020 | Alejandro Villanueva | Matt Feiler | Maurkice Pouncey | David DeCastro | Chukwuma Okorafor |
| 2021 | Dan Moore Jr. | Kevin Dotson | Kendrick Green | Trai Turner | Chukwuma Okorafor |
| 2022 | Dan Moore Jr. | Kevin Dotson | Mason Cole | James Daniels | Chukwuma Okorafor |
| 2023 | Dan Moore Jr. | Isaac Seumalo | Mason Cole | James Daniels | Broderick Jones |
With two rookies likely to start again in 2024, chances are good that one or both will experience growing pains as they adjust to the speed of the NFL. Broderick Jones will also have some readjusting to do as he moves back to left tackle after spending much of his rookie season on the right side. Even the veteran players will have a learning curve with the offense transitioning to Arthur Smith’s wide zone-run concepts.
Last season, the offensive line got off to a very slow start. Even Seumalo took some time to round into form. That type of slow start is a definite possibility again in 2024. Thankfully, the most difficult and consequential part of the schedule is over the final eight weeks of the season.
