With the majority of the NFL community focused on roster cuts and waiver claims, disaster nearly struck at Pittsburgh Steelers practice on August 28.
“Pittsburgh’s starting guard Isaac Seumalo left practice today with an apparent pectoral injury and is undergoing tests to determine the severity of the injury, per sources,” ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reported on X.
Later, Schefter clarified that Seumalo managed to avoid a season-ending injury, but it was still unclear exactly how long the integral blocker might be sidelined. That is, until Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Steelers “insider” Gerry Dulac shed some light on the situation after speaking with his sources.
“Seumalo [is] expected to miss about a month,” Dulac informed. He also explained that this recovery length means that the injury is “non-surgical.”
A few hours after, Dulac provided one last nugget of information. “Seumalo has a pectoral strain,” he said. “Better than a tear of course. Steelers relieved. He’s their best OLineman.”
Dulac’s update agrees with a report from NFL Network insider Mike Garafolo in which Garafolo states that Seumalo is “expected to miss four weeks.” A timeline of this length could make the interior blocker a candidate for the four-game injured reserve — unless there’s a chance the team feels Seumalo might return before Week 5.
Who Will Start at Left Guard With Isaac Seumalo Sidelined?
With Seumalo injured, the immediate concern becomes the starting lineup in Week 1. With a more stationary Russell Wilson at quarterback, the Steelers need their offensive line to protect.
Losing Seumalo obviously won’t help with that, but the bigger issue is a lack of serviceable depth.
Pittsburgh has already placed starting center Nate Herbig and backup offensive tackle Dylan Cook on the injured reserve. On top of that, first-round rookie Troy Fautanu is working his way through an MCL sprain and is questionable for Week 1.
If he’s available, Fautanu might be able to slide inside at guard with Seumalo out. Dan Moore Jr. and Broderick Jones have been preparing as if they’ll be the starting offensive tackles anyway, so not much would change in that regard.
The other options are to start fourth-round rookie Mason McCormick, second-year draft pick Spencer Anderson or acquire a veteran that can step in and play immediately. The latter is unlikely at this stage of the offseason, however, so it could very well be a young and green Steelers OL in front of Wilson on September 8.
Isaac Seumalo Was Model of Consistency for Steelers in 2023
Seumalo signed a three-year, $24 million contract in 2023. In it, he was only guaranteed $6.95 million according to Over the Cap.
The soon-to-be 31-year-old is likely well aware that if he wants to earn the remainder of his free agency payday, he’ll have to stay on the field and perform. In year one, Seumalo did just that with 17 starts and just 2 penalty flags.
He also earned a very consistent 71.9 offensive grade on Pro Football Focus in 2023, which ranked first among Steelers offensive linemen. Those marks included a 70.9 run blocking score and zero charged sacks in pass protection.
His pass blocking efficiency ranking second for Pittsburgh behind fellow veteran guard James Daniels.
If Seumalo can return without missing too much time and once again prove how important he is to this offensive line, there’s little question of whether or not he’ll play out the third year of his contract. Who knows, a strong bounce back from the pectoral strain might even earn him an extension.
