The Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line was the definition of durable last season with all five starting linemen playing in over 95 percent of the team's offensive snaps last season according to Pro Football Reference. The team and Head Coach Mike Tomlin knows that a repeat probably isn't in the cards for 2023. The organization is putting itself in a position to have plenty of depth and battles in training camp for jobs and brought in another challenger for a roster spot.
Photo Credit: Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (@JSKO_PHOTO Twitter)
The Steelers have brought in lots of competition for jobs on the offensive line.
According to a recent report from Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat writer JC Allen, Pittsburgh is bringing in former Montana offensive lineman Dylan Cooks to compete in camp with new addition Nate Herbig along with a pair of holdovers in Kendrick Green and Kevin Dotson for a spot on the final 53-man roster. Cooks was undrafted, but found a home with the Buccaneers as a free agent in 2022. He was released in December.
Former Bucs OT Dylan Cook lands with the Steelers.
— JC Allen (@JCAllenNFL) May 18, 2023
University of Montana Athletics
Dylan Cook impressed enough out of college to find a home initially. He'll now try to stick on with a second team.
Steelers' Hopeful Makes A Change That Saves His Career
Butte Sports
Steelers' Dylan Cook was a member of the Butte High Bulldogs where he played quarterback in high school.
Cook excelled at quarterback in high school, but a separated shoulder shut him down in his senior year. Despite that, he still managed to find a home as a collegiate signal-caller landing with Montana State University-Northern. In 2016, he didn't see any action, but the next year, he threw for 181 yards and two touchdowns while adding 177 yards and three scores on the ground.
After walking on with the University of Montana, the big man made the transition from playing quarterback to protecting them.
“It really brought back my love for football,” Cook told Butte Sports in 2020. "It was pretty tough, but it was exciting at the same time because it was something new, something I’ve never done before.”
It may have been a tough transition, but he adjusted fairly quickly. After a true redshirt first year where his role was undefined on the scout team, he blossomed into a starting lineman for Montana. In 2020, he helped the school have its first 1,000-yard rusher since 2014, while winning the Colleen Marks Athletic Scholarship. In 2021, he missed a pair of games with an injury, but still earned an invite to College Gridiron Showcase all-star event in Texas and was a semifinalist for the National Football Foundation’s William V. Campbell Trophy, also known as the “Academic Heisman” award.
His head coach at Montana, Bobby Hauck, said it's not the first time he'd seen a big-bodied quarterback make the transition. Canadian Brett Boyko was a star high school quarterback who moved over to tackle with UNLV when he reached the collegiate level. He's bounced around the football world including a stop with his hometown Saskatchewan Roughriders.
The Steelers have a reputation for wanting to find guys that love the game. Cook certainly has shown a passion for the game to make a tough adjustment in positions to keep his NFL dream alive.
Do you think Cook could fit into the Steelers' depth on the offensive line in 2023? What did you think about his unique position change story? Comment below!
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