Steelers Legend Alan Faneca Gives Fascinating Insight On Gennings Dunker's Possible Role

The Pittsburgh Steelers have gone under major construction on their offensive line. Not only are there a handful of new faces in the mix, but a few players are switching positions, setting up for a very intriguing storyline ahead of training camp. 

One rookie of note is guard Gennings Dunker, the star lineman out of Iowa. With the experience that Pittsburgh is bringing back, it might be difficult for Dunker to start immediately, but with his versatility, he brings a ton of value as a backup that will help him get into the lineup quicker.

At Iowa, Dunker primarily played on the right side of the line at both tackle and guard. He should be staying on that side as both Mason McCormick and Troy Fautanu have both been taking reps on the left side. While Dunker competes for a spot, his versatility as mentioned will ultimately be the most valuable asset he has in the event that there is an injury.

Recently Steelers legend Alan Faneca gave some insight on what this could look like for Dunker on the Steel City Insider Podcast with Jim Wexell. He talked about what it looks like for a backup on the line if they aren't a starter right away, and how his history can really make him more valuable to the team.

"If you’re not penciled in as one the top five starters, or heavily competing for that spot, you’re going to be all over the place," Faneca stated. "I guarantee with that line of thinking, Week 2, they are going to throw him in at right guard in the middle of practice and he’s going to be questioning life. You’ve got to be flexible. You’ve got to have an inside guy and an outside guy. You know, really that might be it. He’s got that tackle history, maybe he could be that Swiss Army knife that could play at tackle or guard, and dress on game day."

If Dunker can play both guard and tackle at the professional level efficiently, then that would really benefit this team on game day. There has already been discussion about having four active quarterbacks on the roster, which makes it harder on the rest of the position groups to keep an additional player. If Dunker can be what Faneca called a Swiss Army knife to this offensive line, that would be important for him and this team at this juncture.

Dunker isn't a cut candidate by any means, so he will likely most certainly secure a backup spot if healthy. As Faneca described, Dunker's role could change varying upon injuries. Whatever the team needs at the time, using that Week 2 reference as an example, Dunker will go wherever he's needed. With Spencer Anderson and Brock Hoffman competing now for the starting spot at right guard, and Dylan Cook and Max Iheanachor battling for starting right tackle, that versatility is going to be the deciding factor for Dunker to play.

There aren't any easy openings for the rookie, but with what people have said about his work ethic, he will likely eventually find his way onto the field. This organization definitely needs him to develop and serve a big role with the Steelers over the course of the next few years, but it's early for him. There's no rush to throw him into the fire right away. 

Steelers' Dunker Has A Huge Opportunity Ahead

This preseason will give the organization the look on Dunker they really need. With Faneca's insight in mind, prepare for the Steelers to shuffle him around to see where Dunker can be most ready for game action when his name gets called.

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