Steelers' Rookie Has A Huge Opportunity Given The Underwhelming Play Upfront On Offense

The Pittsburgh Steelers' preseason opener against the Green Bay Packers was one that turned out pretty encouraging, as they won the contest 28-9. Head Coach Mike McCarthy and his new staff had their chance to get their first looks at the team during in-game competition ahead of the 2026 regular season. A few rookies had some big moments in the game and quarterback Drew Allar was one of them. He connected with fellow rookie Kaden Wetjen on a 74-yard catch-and-run for the longest play of the contest. Despite the team showing some flashes overall, there was still one group however, that struggled. This is where another rookie can possibly step in and take over.

Quarterback Will Howard, despite not being a rookie, saw his first-ever NFL action in the contest as well, following a 2025 season that had him mostly sidelined due to injury. He would not have likely seen the field in the regular season anyways, with quarterback Aaron Rodgers handling the majority of those duties outside of a game and a half in which he missed due to an injury on his non-throwing wrist. While all the participating quarterbacks did play well in the preseason contest for Pittsburgh, the offensive line struggled at times and it was not hard to notice.

On Tuesday, team insider Nick Farabaugh discussed some takeaways from the first preseason game for the Black and Gold. On the latest episode of Steelers Breakdown, he mentioned the struggles of Dylan Cook and Spencer Anderson. However, he did admit he was impressed with rookie offensive lineman Gennings Dunker, even though he did not look good in his opinion during training camp.

“I’m more concerned about the right side of this offensive line,” Farabaugh said. “I didn’t think Dylan Cook played all that well; he struggled a bit at times. I don’t think Spencer Anderson played all that well either. In fact, I thought Gennings Dunker, who has not had a good camp, played some really good ball. I would like to see him get some more high level opportunities. He’s really choppy right now. He doesn’t really move his feet efficiently. If he can fix his feet, he’s going to be a really good player.” 

Cook filled in last season for an injured Broderick Jones, and played exceptionally well in doing so. Anderson has made several spot starts over the years as well. With an apparent rough preseason opener against Green Bay for both players, especially Anderson, this could open up a path for the rookie Dunker to earn more of those high level opportunities that Farabaugh discussed. He played in the Big Ten Conference in college at Iowa, so he is well accustomed to tenacious and physical defenders. There are still some mechanical things that the 6'5" 300-plus pound lineman need to work on, but with it only being preseason, this would be the best time to give the rookie more quality looks.

Steelers' Offensive Line Must Hold Up In 2026

The Pittsburgh offensive line is going to have to hold up during the 2026 NFL season as Rodgers returns for what he has mentioned will be the final season in his storied career. Dunker did have one confident admission following the 28-9 win over Green Bay that shows some encouraging traits in the young offensive lineman. If that confidence continues and he is in fact put in more higher quality situations ahead of the regular season, it will be interesting to see if he is able to outperform some of the veterans up front.

With the 2026 NFL regular season now under a month away, McCarthy and his staff would definitely welcome improved offensive line play. While it may not be something to worry about once the regular season does arrive, it cannot spill over for when Rodgers steps in and these games really begin to matter.

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