The Pittsburgh Steelers had a lot of mishaps during their second preseason outing against the New York Jets on Friday night, ultimately resulting in an ugly 17-0 defeat. All eyes were on the performances of young quarterbacks Will Howard and Drew Allar, who each received a full half of exhibition action to try to add to their respective cases for why they belong in Black and Gold. To summarize, the night did not go well. Both quarterbacks showed a few flashes, especially Allar, who delivered some impressive throws. Howard ended the night with two first-half interceptions, both of which were hard to watch for Steelers fans.
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Steelers' returner Kaden Wetjen coughs it up on a punt return in a preseason Week 2 game against the New York Jets.
The blame should not all be directed toward the signal-callers, though, as the pass-catchers could not create separation and dropped many passes, while the offensive line looked lackluster for the majority of the night.
The Steelers have suffered from struggles with the big men up front for many years now, never truly being able to find the right combination of pieces to provide solid pass protection and smash-mouth run blocking. Not only has this hindered the unit as a whole for a while now, but it has also led to the front office investing draft and salary-cap capital in an attempt to put together a strong front for multiple seasons.
In the last three of the last four years, the Steelers have selected offensive tackles in the first round of the NFL Draft, including Troy Fauntanu, Broderick Jones, and, most recently, Max Iheanachor. The team also employs offensive line coach James Campen, who is well respected in the industry. He is joined by Hall of Fame finalist Jahri Evans. From the outside, it seems that the Steelers should have a major strength with the group, but they have not come close to reaching that stage.
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Steelers' Mason McCormick and Troy Fautanu working in front of quarterback Aaron Rodgers during their 2026 training camp at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
If the Pittsburgh Steelers want to finally get back to having an elite offense in the 2026 NFL season, it is going to have to start with the front five being able to protect 42-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The offensive linemen take pride in their belief that the unit will be able to hold up for the veteran quarterback this season.
Friday's matchup against the Jets not only left many fans wondering if this issue will ever be resolved, but even some of the offensive linemen themselves were unhappy. Standout Steelers offensive guard Mason McCormick knew that the group did not play up to par when speaking about the unit as a whole, according to an article from Steelers Correspondent for the Pat McAfee Show Mark Kaboly.
"It wasn't good enough," McCormick said. The offensive line is super important, and it starts with us, and we take pride in that. We need to start faster. I don't know what it is for sure, but we will. I have faith."
The unit needs to warm up quickly to the idea of starting fast, as Rodgers is going to need all the help he can get from his teammates during his likely last season in the NFL. McCormick is right in saying that it starts with the offensive line. No other positions on the field will have the time needed to do their jobs effectively if Rodgers cannot stay clean this season.
Steelers' Starting Offensive Line Seems Set In Stone
The first-team offensive line for the Steelers looks like it is going to consist of Cook, McCormick, Fautanu, and center Zach Frazier. The current state of mind around the organization is that Spencer Anderson will start at right guard, as he has been getting a lot of the reps with the first-team unit during training camp sessions and the preseason matchups.
This group has to gel very soon as the NFL regular season kicks off in under three weeks. It will be interesting to see what combinations of linemen Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy will deploy during the team's final preseason game against the Buffalo Bills on August 27th.
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