The Pittsburgh Steelers front office made it a priority to upgrade the interior of the offensive line for 2023. With the additions of Super Bowl-winning guard Isaac Seumalo and Nate Herbig, the team now has quality depth on the inside with starting experience in the league. The same can't be said for the two tackle positions, where last year's starters Dan Moore Jr. and Chukwuma Okorafor remained unchallenged with the only outside lineman brought in so far being swing tackle Le'Raven Clark.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle, Chuks Okorafor could have some competition to keep his starting gig in 2023.
Bleacher Report's David Kenyon opted to give the Steelers another option at the position in his most recent look at best fits for the remaining free agents on the market. His choice for a player he thinks would fit in Pittsburgh is a two-time Super Bowl-winning tackle.
"Cameron Fleming isn't a star, but he's a quality player who could ease Pittsburgh's greatest pain," Kenyon wrote. "Sure, the Steelers may address one tackle spot in the draft, but Fleming is a proven blocker. Since he's entering his age-31 season, Fleming could be a starter for multiple years."
Examining Fleming's Fit With The Steelers
As Kenyon pointed out, the Steelers have been pegged by many draft analysts as a team to watch out for in the market for a top tackle so, where would Fleming fit in with a rookie plus the players already on the roster? The team is likely cutting ties with a pair of linemen from last year's squad, so adding another backup with starting-caliber experience makes a lot of sense.
Photo Credit: Aaron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post
Former Denver Broncos lineman Cameron Fleming could be another helpful depth piece for the Steelers in 2023.
Fleming has started in 61 of 111 career regular season games split between the New England Patriots, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, and Denver Broncos since entering the league in 2014. In 2022, he played and started in 15 games for the Broncos taking just four penalties with only one for holding according to Pro Football Reference. 2020 was the only other season he was a full-time starter, playing in 16 games for the Giants. He also has nine games of playoff experience including a pair of starts.
PHOTO CREDIT: JORDAN SCHOFIELD/STEELERNATION (TWITTER: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Steelers left tackle Dan Moore Jr was a nice surprise after being a 4th-round pick starting 16 games in 2021, and 17 in 2022 but the team is looking for a possible upgrade in 2023.
While Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said he is "comfortable" with the state of the offensive line after the initial moves by general manager Omar Khan in free agency, comfort is not something Tomlin is known for. The team knows it was lucky to have the same unit game to game for all of last season and bringing in more quality depth certainly doesn't hurt. Let's say the team manages to snag one of the best tackle prospects in the draft, with an addition like Fleming, it will have the flexibility to ease the rookie in. Plus it would give the Steelers three players that have starting NFL experience a first-year can learn from.
It might not be a home run free agent signing, but bringing in another offensive tackle with both starting and championship experience in the league for near or close to a veteran minimum makes a ton of sense.
What do you think of the current state of the tackles? Who would you have starting on the outsides next year? Comment below!
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