Steelers Nearly Missed Out On Key Piece To Offensive Attack Late In 2025 Season

The Pittsburgh Steelers have had a bit of a weird season that has been extremely up and down. The group got out to a hot start as the team had a record of 4-1 and a commanding lead in the AFC North, but that is not the case anymore. The Steelers are now 8-6 and at the top of the division, but there is a good chance that the title may come down to the Week 18 clash between Pittsburgh and the Baltimore Ravens. The Steelers have faced a good amount of adversity as the season has gone along due to injuries, but there is an argument to make supporting the fact that the group is playing the best it has all season.

The Steelers have had some pretty big injuries hit the team. The group lost DeShon Elliott against the Green Bay Packers earlier in the 2025 season, Aaron Rodgers has a fractured wrist, and there was the fluke incident with TJ Watt that will likely have him miss the team's Week 16 matchup with the Detroit Lions. There was another big injury for Pittsburgh, and that was to left tackle Broderick Jones. 

Jones suffered a neck injury, and he is officially out for the remainder of the 2025 season. However, Dylan Cook has stepped up in his absence and performed exceptionally well. His play surprised many in the team's win over the Miami Dolphins in Week 15, and the Steelers almost didn't even have his services as he was skeptical about signing with the team. Cook was asked about whether or not he had doubts signing in Pittsburgh during a recent appearance on The Arthur Moats Experience.

"Absolutely," Cook said. "I figured, when they signed me, I was a camp body anyway. So, the only way was up."

Cook has an interesting background. He began his college career at Montana State-Northern where he actually played quarterback, which is the position he played in high school. He then transferred to Montana, which is where he switched to a position on the offensive line. He went undrafted in 2022 and eventually signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers where he was on the practice squad for the 2022 season. Given his unproven background, it is completely understandable why Cook would assume he is just a camp body.

Cook signed with the Steelers during the 2023 offseason and wound up making the final roster that year. However, he did second guess signing. The Steelers had just drafted two offensive linemen, which is daunting to an undrafted player as the organization has a responsibility to play the guys that were drafted. Cook spoke about that, and how he fought through to make his way onto the roster.

"Kind of just stayed consistent," Cook said. "They had two offensive line draft picks that year in Spencer Anderson and Broderick Jones. Kind of knew I was fighting an uphill battle, but consistency is key. That's what they told me when they ended up signing me was, I just showed up every single day and was the same player every single day."

Thankfully Cook decided to take the challenge of signing with Pittsburgh. He finally got his chance to start against Miami, and he played a near perfect game. His pass protection was solid, and his overall performance was an extremely pleasant surprise. Many are arguing that he should be penciled in as the starter moving forward.

Steelers Coaching Staff Has Some Explaining To Do

It is a small sample size for both players, but it is a bit absurd that guys who were on the edge of the roster bubble going into the 2025 season are the ones making an impact. Cook looked great on Monday night, and James Pierre has been an above-average starter for the Steelers when the defense has needed to rely on him. There is always draft positioning and financials to consider when putting together on a roster, but the fact that both of those two players were nowhere near starters after camp kind of says a lot. They would have never gotten an opportunity had it not been for a handful of unfortunate injuries.

This begs the question: What is the coaching staff looking at when the team is in Latrobe? Comment below!

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