My thoughts on our roster..... O-line

Games are won up front..... there is nothing that our offense can do if the guys on the front line are not doing their jobs.... we've used quality draft capital and brought in high profile free agents in an attempt to improve in that area and growth is still needed... there were some really bright spots though, and it will be a privilege to see those bright spots progress.... at the same time some of the struggles were real.... some injuries also hit hard, and we will see how that plays out on player's returns next season.... coaching in that area will also be huge, but we've already discussed that, so here goes....


OT:
Dan Moore ---- had his best season as a pro ...
Despite that, his play can still be considered average.... his struggles against speed rushers is quite evident, and still hasn't developed much of a punch... the improvement though, will be important for him as he is now a free agent... with a premium on the position, and this yr being a weaker draft up front, I fully believe a desperate team will overpay for his services and he will move on

Broderick Jones --- was supposed to challenge Moore on the Left side, but with coach Tomlin not wanting to hand the RT job to a rookie, he had to go back to the right to provide competition.... then came Troy Fautanu's injury and the issue became moot...
Jones struggled mightily on the right side, including preseason, where it was clear that he was battling an injury... the uneven play continued into the regular season, where the difference in footwork on the right as opposed to the left was clear... his play improved a bit in the 2nd half of the yr, as did his attitude. ... Jones cut down on his penalties and appeared to take a leadership role on the field... If Moore leaves in free agency, expect Jones to slot into his natural position on the left, where significant improvement will be expected

Troy Fautanu ---- red shirt rookie yr due to injury... during camp, Fautanu showed why he was a 1st rd pick and expectations will be high next season as he will be expected to take over the right side.... highly athletic and can probably play every spot on the line if needed... his play and development will be watched with great anticipation

Calvin Anderson ---- injured most of the yr,.. when he did return late, his play was uneven...
Holds up well against bull rushers, but is useless against speed... his play actually has me believing that he should be moved inside to guard...


OG:
Isaac Seumalo --- veteran coming back from injury... very smart player and a leader on the line... struggled more this season with bull rushers, and I can only think that he is not 100% from the injury yet.... with a full yr back though, I would expect him to return to the solid play that we've grown accustomed to...
As he gets older, I expect the team to add someone in the near future in the draft to replace him... for now though, he is our LG for the foreseeable future

Mason McCormick ---- the rookie was supposed to learn on the bench behind James Daniels and take over the RG spit next season... the football Gods stepped in though and after Daniels was lost early to injury, the future became now..... Mason played at a very high level, which was surprising coming from his small school background... strong against the run and more polished against the pass than originally thought... also played with a fire that was highly refreshing.... the sky's the limit for him

Spencer Anderson ---- initially starting the season for Seumalo as he was coming back from injury..... Anderson's play was so poor that he was quickly benched for McCormick..
When Daniels went down and McCormick was switched to the Right, we were lucky that Seumalo came back when he did... Anderson has shown me someone who has no business on the field and I don't expect him to be on the roster when the season starts next yr

James Daniels --- solid rg during his time in black and gold and at times was our best lineman.... he was informed in camp that he would not be extended so his injury was indeed unfortunate.... if he shows in workouts that he is fully recovered, then he should get a handsome payday somewhere in the league


C:
Zach Frazier ---- the rookie came in and after a faux competition in camp, followed by an injury to Nate Herbig, stepped into the starting spot and never looked back... Holds up well against the pass and is a bull in the run game.. Frazier plays with a mean streak and his wrestling background serves him quite well... Frazier looks to continue to line of great C play that we've become accustomed to, and there is no reason to believe that he won't...
We hit a home run on this pick

Ryan McCollum ---- Languished for a few seasons on the practice squad, but when Herbig went down, was thrust into the backup spot..... he started for an injured Frazier and his play was admirable... I am more than comfortable with him as our backup



Overview:
The inside of the line looks more than solid, although depth is needed, while the outside will have question marks as well as depth issues... it will be a makenor break yr for Broderick Jones, while Troy Fautanu will try to show that his injury concerns are behind him



Next up: D-line

 

Both trenches need to be upgraded with better talent. OL and DL are sub par. McCormick might improve in 2025... and Frazier is the only lineman on OL that is an above average legit starter. DL needs complete overhaul. Benton and Heyward were disappointments in the month of December against Super Bowl caliber O lines.

 

McCormick struggled in pass protection in the second half of the season, Seumalo will be a year older after struggling this season. But I agree no high draft picks on a guard.

 

I think the 'rookie wall' is a real thing. I also think we saw our young guys on the OL hit that wall late in the season. I'm a believer in the year 3 rule. Give a rookie 3 seasons to find his role. If he still doesn't have one, move on.

 

If the right player is available in either Rounds 2 to 3, don't be shocked if that position is the pick. The Center position isn't as vulnerable as some may think and the overall talent in IOL is going under the radar; doubly so at the top. I do agree that addressing the Guard position is going to be an underrated need heading into the Draft as I also don't expect James Daniels to return this season and Spencer Anderson is depth only.


Frazier and McCormick are, more or less, the only long term starters on the interior. Isaac has one more season in him but that is it imo.

 

We talkin' about Spence?! Technically speaking, it would be better to have had Mason McCormick play Left Guard (that was his home for over 50 games at South Dakota State) and have Spence occupy the Right Guard position given that was the position he was tasked to focus on the most. Spencer looked much improved during the first two games of the preseason but hasn't looked that good since. Regarding your comment about the Rookie Wall, I wholeheartedly agree.



First half of season Zach Frazier and second half season Zach Frazier looked a lot different. This goes doubly for Mason McCormick. However, people tend to forget that these Rookies have a lot more than just learning an NFL Playbook and going through the combine. School, College Games, Senior Bowl (for some), training for the NFL Combine, training for the Pro Day (if need be), training leading up to the draft, training some more until Rookie Minicamp arrives and a continual cycle that leads into their Rookie Season is an insane level of preparation for the job that is an NFL Pro.


Very few Rookies ever avoid it; much less Rookie Offensive Lineman. The last Rookie Offensive Lineman that avoided that completely was Quenton Nelson's 2018 Campaign. Dude never took plays off. As far as Rookie Offensive Tackles?! RaShawn Slater circa 2021. Those two are, more or less, the best Rookie Offensive Lineman to play an entire season without any drop off within the past decade.

 

I’ll sum it up. The O-Line play was below the line.
These excuses for possible injuries are weak. If you’re on the field you need to perform or the coach needs to be smart enough to get someone else out there.
Every year we’re making excuses because guys were supposedly injured. Next year be better, but it never is.

 

watching the all 22 videos, many are making mccorrmick out to be much more than he really was. there is a lot of work to do with him. a lot. frazier was pretty good. beside's that any of them could be upgraded if we are taking any kind of step forward. including the coach. i don't dislike meyer as much as many but we need to give him better talent to work with. this o-line has been and continues to be a problem area. without them, the rest of the offense will struggle no matter what skill players people want to add. they will make the skill players better not the skill players making the line better.

 

i do want to add that i think they should re-sign max scharping and dylan cook. could keep them from having to draft high for possible starters immediately.

 

Given what's on the roster, what other options would you have considered to replace an ineffective starter

 

Based on what?

 

WAIT. WE HAD AN OLINE?

Really thought I would open an empty page.


Honestly, Love all your post

 

Depending on the injury of course. Even though they’re a back up, they should be better than a guy playing on one leg or with one arm?

 

as i stated earlier this year about jones.

https://steelersdepot.com/2025/01/d...ee-broderick-jones-more-committed-to-his-job/

his work ethic stinks. i saw his picture without a shirt on, he looked flabby and very averagely built. looked like a guy that doesn't like the gym. he has been handed positions throughout his football time because of his size. it happens to many athletes from the grade school level. probably much of the reason he didn't start for awhile at bama. i sure hope, if he's going to be groomed for the LT spot, he changes his stripes. i have my doubts but we will see.

it's nice to root for these guys and fans want them to succeed as do i but the commitment to this level has to be there. everybody at this level is extremely good. to get that edge you have to work at it. many have natural ability and the thing that makes them different from everyone else is building on there strength, conditioning and thinking or learning. AB for as much of a moron as he turned out, worked his butt off and made the difference. moore worked hard and it took time but he did improve as time went on. hines ward worked his tail off and it paid off. there are tons of these stories. i hate to give a pass to the guys that just want to be good enough. i could care less about draft status. it's about what you make of your chance to be the best.

i have no problem if they keep drafting and trying to fill these spots if it helps the overall best of the team and unit as a whole.

 

How about our pass protection scheming? How do we rank as far as successfully chipping incoming blitzers?

Seems to me like other top teams do better than us but did not check stats.

For instance: Would have liked to see Moore get some help at times.

 

Broderick Jones is a bust, trust me.

 

Keep building the OL until we get the right guys.

 

donavon jackson from ohio state is a really good guard and would be ranked as one of the top coming out. what he did though was switch to left tackle of all spots and played at that same level. he hadn't played tackle either. when the injury happened to one of the top LT's in this draft, they moved him there only to shine. this is a guy that could fit multiple roles for the steelers at a high level. a good type of player to have incase of injury. one pick 4 positions and not only four positions but at a high level at those four positions. very impressed with what he did this year.

 

It's too early to give up on him next year when he plays LT will determine if he's a bust or not.

 

We all know the elephant in the room.
Get rid of this OL coach. We can do better and we must.

 

Nope

 

Ramon Foster disagrees:

Former Steelers offensive lineman Ramon Foster praises the current offensive line, stating it has advantages over his own Pro Bowl-era group. Foster believes the new unit's athleticism and talent surpasses that of the line he played on, which featured three Pro Bowlers. He acknowledges the need for development and better coaching, especially given the youth of the current players. The Steelers have revamped their line since 2021, focusing on building a strong foundation for future success. However, concerns about coaching consistency and player experience remain.

 

I know its been stated that they are planning to move Broderick Jones to LT. What I don’t get is that everyone expects his play to improve when he moves to LT. I understand he played LT in college, however he only stuttered for one year, so technically with him playing almost two years at RT in the NFL, I would question wether LT is still his natural position. All the experts when evaluating him say that his foot work is not the problem, it is his hand placement, punch, lunging and leaning over and reaching that are hurting his production. Those are all technique issues not athletic ability. It appears that Jones isn’t necessarily a self starter and lacks motivation, I derive at that conclusion strictly from his lack of progress and his demeanor on the field (he doesn’t always seem engaged). He is basically a contrast from Frazier who has come in as a Rookie and played very well.

My issue here is we really need Jones to hit or it sets us back. The problem here is we have a lump of clay that we have not been able to develop. For water reason he seems to lack motivation to want to get better. Is that frustration and lack of belief in his coaches or the scheme or what is it? Its problem and we need coaches that can take talent especially talent that may lack the internal ability to be self motivated and cultivate it. I don’t think any of these guys at this level lack motivation because they are lazy (there are a few exceptions), I think it primarily revolves around their belief in the coaching. Some guys lose confidence and give up when frustrated because they feel it is a hopeless cause. You see guys who struggle in one system move onto a better team and all of the sudden they thrive. Bechton in Philadelphia is a good example of this. Yes he switched positions but sometimes its a matter of instilling hope in a guy to cultivate and bring out his talent.

I don’t see that with this Oline coach. McCormick is another guy who is a lump of clay. He has talent but he lacks technique and he isn’t refined. He played with alot of emotion and excitement this year but if you don’t develop these guy technique wise they soon start to lose that fire and become complacent like what I believe has happened to Jones this year.

I really hope they bring in a better Oline coach to instill confidence in these guys and to maximize their potential while honing their technique.