Steelers' Max Iheanachor Has His Biggest Problem Revealed Prior To Training Camp

The Pittsburgh Steelers upset all of their fans on draft night in 2026 as the team was shown up by the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles jumped the Steelers in the draft order and were able to select wide receiver Makai Lemon, who is the player Pittsburgh already had on the phone and intended to select. The Steelers were forced to pivot, and that meant drafting offensive tackle Max Iheanachor out of Arizona State. He is going to play right tackle for Pittsburgh, but he is not expected to start to begin his rookie season as he will begin training camp behind Dylan Cook.

Iheanachor has had an interesting football journey, and he is considered a raw talent that is going to need to be developed. It is more than likely that he begins the 2026 regular season on the bench, but he could surprise some people during training camp and beat out Cook for the starting job at right tackle. Cook played some left tackle for the Steelers near the end of the 2025 season, and he looked pretty good. He is now switching sides, which will be interesting to keep tabs on.

Beat writer Mark Kaboly joined 93.7 The Fan on Monday morning where he discussed the current state of the offensive line. He spoke about how Iheanachor may not have enough time to prove he can start, and he believes the team cares too much about winning to give him time to prove himself in real game situations.

"My issue with Iheanachor, is there enough time?" Kaboly asked. "You gotta get off the bus ready to go. Because if you waste a week or you warm up to it, you just can't go with him. You have to go with the guy that you know, which is Dylan Cook."

Kaboly is referring to training camp and the preseason games when he is talking about how Iheanachor has three weeks. During camp and those preseason games he is going to have to prove that he can handle the talent coming off of the edge in the NFL, and practicing against guys like TJ Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Nick Herbig should help with that.

Iheanachor will essentially have to catch fire during training camp and the preseason in order to steal the starting job from Cook. There won't be time to warm up to things or to make mistakes. Iheanachor will have to prove that he can be the starter on the day the players report to Latrobe.

The Steelers have also made it very clear that the franchise intends to compete in 2026. The team cares about wins and losses, and especially about ending this current run of little playoff success. That means young players cannot be on the field during the regular season just to develop. They have to be contributing in a positive way, and that might take some time for Iheanachor.

Steelers Could Start 2 Rookies On The Offensive Line In 2026

Iheanachor is the first-round pick, so he is talked about the most among the current rookies. However, he is not the only rookie that could be starting on the offensive line at some point during the 2026 season. Gennings Dunker was also drafted in the third round of the event and he has a shot to start at right guard. He is going to be competing with Spencer Anderson and Brock Hoffman, but there is a chance that he could see the field at some point in his rookie season. 

He has already won over a ton of fans. Now, it is time to see if he can win over the coaching staff.

What do you think of Kaboly's overall comments on Iheanachor? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!

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