Steelers Look Strong With Flexibility At One Position For 2026

The Pittsburgh Steelers are slowly but surely getting closer to the start of 2026 training camp following one of their more chaotic offseasons in recent history. New Head Coach Mike McCarthy has worked with a few players on the Pittsburgh roster for 2026, most notably quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The duo will work together in 2026 for the first time since their days with the Green Bay Packers. McCarthy is looking to quickly turn things around and change the narrative for the storied franchise in his first season with it. However, there is another former player of McCarthy providing position flexibility for him in year one.

Chris Harlan of TribLive recently mentioned McCarthy's connections to several other players on the roster, citing Brock Hoffman on the offensive line in 2026 as they worked together with the Dallas Cowboys. The particularly strong part of Hoffman's game in 2026 is his versatility, specifically being able to move around on the offensive line. It is not something that Hoffman is unfamiliar with and he could do so if needed during the upcoming season.

"One of [Brock] Hoffman’s strengths is position flexibility, letting him move between center and guard," Harlan wrote. "Last year, he played 88% of offensive snaps at center for Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer and spent 79% of snaps at guard under McCarthy in 2024." 

The team still remains uncertain regarding the future of offensive lineman Broderick Jones ahead of the upcoming campaign. On top of that, it lost veteran offensive lineman Isaac Seumalo via free agency to the Arizona Cardinals. The franchise did draft offensive lineman Max Iheanachor in the first round, but he may need some time to develop as a rookie. That is where Hoffman can play a big role for the team throughout 2026.

Harlan also wrote that while Hoffman was a bit nervous following the team signing him via free agency, but the coaching staff helped to put his mind at ease. The 26-year old is entering his fifth NFL season, with all of his previous playing time coming in Dallas. While Hoffman ranks out as one of the lower end NFL centers according to Pro Football Focus, he joins an offensive line that is relatively young as a whole, but really started to mesh later on in the 2025 season.

Steelers' Offensive Line Will Be Key Component To Turnaround

In 2025, Pittsburgh's offense ranked as one of the worst in the NFL, finishing ranked 25th in total offense. The one thing that McCarthy is known for is his offensive-minded coaching, but he also needed weapons ahead of 2026 for the offense to turn around. The front office did a great job of adding talent, as it acquired wide receivers Michael Pittman Jr. via trade and Germie Bernard in the draft to help take attention off of DK Metcalf.

Now that pieces have been acquired at the skill positions, the offensive line will have to answer the bell in 2026 to keep their 42-year old quarterback upright. If it is able to do that, the team could see a massive turnaround offensively. The offensive line is not a unit unfamiliar with dealing with adversity, especially when Jones went down last season and Dylan Cook took over in his place to help stabilize things up front on offense.

Pittsburgh has not been used to having an offensive-minded philosophy in quite some time, especially given previous head coach Mike Tomlin coming from a defensive background throughout his NFL coaching career. 

Now, there could be a bit of a culture change in the Steel City as the team looks to vastly improve offensively compared to last year. They did a great job of giving McCarthy the keys to drive that car for the 2026 season, but the offensive line is going to be a focal point to allow Rodgers time to get the ball to the new weapons added.

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