Former Steelers Lineman Chris Hoke Alarmed By Team's Play In The Middle On Both Sides Of The Ball

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been blessed over the years to have had some fantastic talent in the middle of their offensive and defensive lines. Hall of Fame center Mike Webster was a key member of four Super Bowl championships in the 1970s, and a perennial Pro Bowler Maurkice Pouncey helped anchor some very successful offenses during his 10-year tenure from 2010 to 2020. On the other side of the ball, nose tackle Casey Hampton was nominated for five Pro Bowls and won a pair of Super Bowls as the steady presence in the middle. Former Steelers defensive lineman Chris Hoke thinks that a lot of Pittsburgh's early struggles are due to not having a dominating force in the middle on either unit. 

Hoke joined co-hosts Ron Cook and Joe Starkey on their show on 93.7 The Fan on Thursday morning to break down some of what he's been seeing from the team through five weeks. Center Mason Cole was brought in during the 2022 offseason as part of a remodeling of the offensive line. He's voiced in 2023 how the offensive struggles have come from execution and not scheme or play-calling and Hoke thinks he's been a major part of the problem. 

"He's struggled at times," Hoke said of Cole. "He's struggled on the double team on the nose tackles and getting to the second level, and linebackers are making plays. He's gotten beat in the pass rush. He's got to be stronger in the middle." 

The team was blessed to have had Pouncey come in and become a star in the middle pretty much right away until he decided to retire at the end of the 2020 season. The team tried Kendrick Green at center infamously in 2021 and after that fell flat on its face, pivoted to Cole. The veteran who has played for the Arizona Cardinals and Minnesota Vikings is under contract for 2024 with a $6.27 million dollar cap hit that would be worth $1.52 in dead money if they were to cut him according to Spotrac. 

If Cole continues to struggle in 2023, the team could conceivably look to the draft or free agency for an upgrade and save themselves some money, but the priority is that he turns around his play moving forward. 

Steelers' Hoke: "When You're Soft In The Middle, It's Tough To Be Good"

The Steelers' defensive line took a big hit when Cam Heyward went down in Week 1. Even though he doesn't play nose tackle, his ability to be a stout run defender and pass rusher can help mask some deficiencies in other player's games.

Montravius Adams won the starting nose tackle job out of camp, but has struggled along with the rest of the defense to be stout against the run. Adams, who came to the Steelers as a waiver pickup from the New Orleans Saints, had a nice start to his tenure in Pittsburgh as a rotational piece, but hasn't fit the part as a starter. 

Rookie Keeanu Benton is listed as Adams' backup, but has also been filling for Heyward at defensive tackle. He's shown some splash ability picking up his first career sack against the Las Vegas Raiders. The Wisconsin Badgers' product was touted out of college for his run defense, but adding some pass-rush ability is a nice bonus for Pittsburgh. 

Pittsburgh needs to get better play in the middle on both sides of the ball if they're going to have any success in 2023. Despite the struggles so far in 2023, they have managed to weather the storm and nab a 3-2 record, which has them first in the AFC North. 

The play from whoever is at nose tackle and Cole for the rest of the year will be an important evaluation for Omar Khan and the rest of the front office. As Hoke said, you win and lose with strength, or lack of it, down the middle. If Cole and the cast of nose tackles can't perform, it will need to be a priority for the team moving forward. 

Do you agree the Steelers need to be stronger down the middle? How would you address that weakness? Comment below!

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