Should the Steelers draft a LT?

That's not really fair to Jones in 2024 Fautanu was injured and Moore refused to play RT.

 

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The coaches did not not think Moore could play RT

 

Fautanu has the arm length and played left tackle all through college. He did however play some left guard as a sophomore. Not sure if this would be a move that could be made. It may be quite different with
campon running the show.

is there a possibility that we add a tackle in free agency and in the draft or draft two. There are a lot more tackles in free agency that are not left only. We shall see how this plays out.

 

This upcoming Offensive Tackle FA Class is terrible... and I mean terrible. Jermaine Eluemunor; that is, more or less, the list. As I have outlined earlier, the Steelers did meet up with Kadyn Proctor. I also doubt that is the last First Round Offensive Tackle the team will meet up with no less.

 

Cook played well in four games vs. very good competition at left tackle.I have a saying. Three good games in a row in the NFL is not a fluke. He looks like a top 10-16 Left Tackle to me.

Troy F played okay in his first season starting. He will likely improve as most players see a jump in thier performance in year 2 starting.

Jones is a good 3rd tackle and poor starting tackle.

When you consider the fact that Tomlin hired a crappy OL coach ( he is fried now ) , and the Steelers and Mike McCarty hired two new coaches for the OL ( his Offensive lines were good in Dallas ) things are trending up.

Tackle is behind QB, WR, DT, CB, G, and S for 2026 draft needs. Draft a tackle in rounds 4-7, I say.

- JB

 

Troy was only hurt after the season started.

Jones didn't win the LT job. And looked worse than Fautano at RT (in admittedly limited action).

Before the injury, Jones looked to be headed to being the swing tackle. Because he couldn't win the LT job.

It doesn't matter what Moore wanted to do. He's a player, not a coach.

If Jones was the better LT that year, Moore would have been on the bench to start the year.

But Broderick couldn't win the job. Against Moore, who was Ok but not great.

And now Jones again looks worse than a low pedigree option in Cook.

None of this means that Jones can't win the job if he's healthy. But it's far from a given when looking at how Jones has lost every time when there was a competition for that job.

 

I know you like new toys and get excited by small samples.

IMO Cook has earned the right to compete for the starting job.

But I don't think we should pretend we have a medium to long term answer at LT.

If someone we think is a long term starter falls to us in the draft, it would be silly not to draft them.

 

the thing is we can't go by what happened here under the MT coaching staff and assume it will remain the same. cook gives us some flexibility at LT. i do think james campon and jarhi evans will help this line step up. the draft and free agency should add to this part of the equation. i don't think mike mccarthy will take the same MT approach to the offensive line. he will want to strengthen it.

 

I tend to agree but if Cook can be a decent bridge, his contract situation is definitely attractive. Roughly $1MM in 2026 then an RFA for 2027. I also didn't realize how old he was (just turned 28). so I figure that even if he is the guy, he probably only has 4-5 years of good ball left in him.

 

up until this point cook hasn't had the beating to his body that guys that have been starting since 23 have had. at least 5 or more good years left i would say. even at that point keeping him as a backup swing tackle could be beneficial but that's down the road. the time to sign him would be now before the price goes up. even as a backup.

 

Fautanu was injured during training camp in 2024. He was not available for the opener due to injury. He returned for the second game of the season, started and played well before leaving the game with the injury that ended his season.

 

If Dylan Cook is the starting LT, Will Howard or whomever the backup is will see action sooner than later. Dude cannot handle speed to power consistently. Such NFL EDGE Players can be found on many teams.

 

I agree with this.

And I also thought he was closer to being a rookie when since he came out of nowhere. Good point about him likely not having a ton of high quality years left.

The need is not desperate because I think Cook is at least a stop gap starter. And even if we find another starter, it looks to me like he'd be good depth (although I don't know what his RT experience is).

I think LG is a bigger need than LT. And LT is the higher value position.

I'd prefer we don't force ourselves into drafting either position in the first. There are more than enough needs on this team IMO. BPA.

 

I only want to extend him if it's cheap (a contract for a swing tackle vs. a starting tackle).

He costs nothing now. And don't have much idea about what he is.

But we should have leverage. As Hackjam points out, he's already 28. His career earnings is something like $2MM and he's set to earn another $1MM this year.

If we offered him a swing tackle type contract, maybe he takes it. While it would be low by NFL standards, for humans it would be insane money.

Maybe he decides not to take a team friendly contract. But that's pushing in all his chips on one year when he's 28.

My guess is that it's harder for a guy at that age to come back from a big injury and get even a middling NFL paycheck. Especially when the sum total of that guy's ~ 5 years in the NFL is that he dressed in 5 games and started 4.

Signing that contract for him would be about risk mitigation. But when you're 28 and just started playing on Sundays (because someone got hurt), maybe that looks like a win.

 

This is my recollection too.

That they were sharing snaps at RT in that game. And TF looked better than BJ (in an admittedly small sample size).

There's no way to know, but I think if Troy doesn't get hurt Broderick would have been the swing tackle that season.

The good news is that Jones was looking better last year before he got hurt. But it sounds like the injury might make it so that he isn't ready for camp / start of the season. And it didn't seem like a downgrade when we put in Cook (a guy who hadn't dressed for a game even though he was drafted in 2022).

I really, really want Jones to succeed because it's by far the best path for the team (maybe second best with the best option being Cook becoming an above average starter on a cheap deal).

But there isn't much evidence that Jones can be an average LT. Which isn't good for a 1st round pick with 1 year left on his rookie contract.

 

include the start in a playoff game and he has 5 starts.

 

That's a 25% increase!!!!!

 

also against a playoff team which is better competition. every little bit helps. the kid was also a QB so i'm guessing not a total moron.