The Pittsburgh Steelers are expected to feature a new starting right tackle in 2026. After moving Troy Fautanu to the left side, that spot is potentially opening up for Dylan Cook, who started in place of Broderick Jones through the last six games of the 2025 season and into the Wild Card game against the Houston Texans.
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Steelers offensive tackle Broderick Jones (#77) walks on the field at St. Vincent College as the team practices during 2025 training camp in Latrobe, PA.
Fautanu and Cook are flip flopping on the line, sending both players where they initially played in college. Fautanu was a left tackle at the University of Washington and Cook played right tackle at the University of Montana. The adjustment at the professional level won't be easy, especially when they got comfortable at different spots, but that familiarity from the collegiate experience should definitely help the transition.
Cook has progressed well entering his fourth season in the NFL and a former Steeler in Dan Moore Jr. helped him develop into the player he is today. Cook was a guy that really relied on using both hands when dropping back in pass protection, which can become predictable if there aren't other tactics mixing in against edge rushers.
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Steelers left tackle Dan Moore Jr. before a 2023 matchup against the Cleveland Browns.
Cook discussed his growth and a new move Moore helped him learn in an interview on Youtube.
"Watching Dan Moore, [Chukwuma Okorafor], those guys right as I got to Pittsburgh helped a lot because Dan was, I mean, he still is kind of an inside hand puncher and I didn’t have that in my bag at all when I got here," Cook stated. "So I was able to watch him do that almost every day. Took a lot of bits and pieces from everybody."
Developing the inside hand punch has really helped him take off and emerge as a starting option in Pittsburgh. When facing elite edge rushers, adding another move to keep the defense guessing will help prevent splash plays from the defense. Cook also added some context on what this move entails.
"If you get both hands swiped, I mean, you’ve got to have the best feet in the world," Cook stated. "If you get one hand swiped, the other one is locked and loaded ready to fire off. In terms of which one I throw first, it’s nothing more than just keeping them guessing."
Having both moves can really help Cook as he looks to enter his first season as a full time starter. Protecting a 42-year-old quarterback in Aaron Rodgers will be a tough task, especially when trying to be perfect to prevent an injury. There may not be many more hits that he can take, so limiting as many sacks as possible will be the goal for this team. That's what every line wants to prevent, but younger arms can typically take more hits than what Rodgers can at this age.
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Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025 in Dublin, Ireland.
With new looks on each end of the offensive line from Cook and Fautanu, there are going to be a lot of questions entering training camp in less than two weeks. Even though Moore wasn't a standout tackle, what he was able to teach Cook may help fill in a crucial spot of the offensive for years to come. Cook could very well hold down that spot with a strong 2026 season.
Steelers' Dylan Cook Could Be A Long-Term Option At Right Tackle
It's a big season approaching for the Steelers and the offensive line. Cook could emerge as the future of right tackle and it would be a very fun development story if they find a to further develop him. Newly hired James Campen will have a big task making him a full time starter moving forward and after Cook got some tips from Moore, he could really turn into an underrated piece for Pittsburgh's future.
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