The Pittsburgh Steelers' 17-0 loss in their second preseason game to the New York Jets came with a lot of negatives following the contest. With some bad play, it was met with a lot of criticism as the team failed to put up any points and really get any sort of momentum going on offense. Head Coach Mike McCarthy and his staff will have one final preseason game to use in order to evaluate the roster before it needs to cut down to 53 players and the regular season starts.
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Steelers' Mike McCarthy looks on during Pittsburgh's 17-0 loss to the New York Jets during the 2026 preseason.
Despite the result from the Jets game, not everything was bad from Friday night. The 2026 season is a big one for the offensive line as they will have to do everything they can to keep quarterback Aaron Rodgers upright and healthy. In what he has said will be his final season, it is important that their play on the field does not regress in the upcoming campaign. Rodgers did end up missing one game in the 2025 season due to injury, so this will be crucial for the Black and Gold to have success in 2026. On Monday's episode of The Snap Count, former Pittsburgh offensive lineman Trai Essex evaluated the offensive line play from the contest last Friday evening. One offensive lineman in particular that stood out to him was Spencer Anderson at right guard. The comments made were very encouraging as he looks to earn the starting job at the position.
“Good to see Spencer Anderson at right guard,” Essex said. “I think he has solidified his spot as a starting right guard for this team. Mainly because you don't hear his number. You don't hear his name being called. That means he is doing his job. I'm rooting for him. I think he's gonna have a really good year.”
The 6-foot-5 305 pound guard was the 251st pick by the franchise in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft. The University of Maryland product earning this starting role would be huge for him. Should he become a successful player at that right guard position, it would also speak volumes of how General Manager Omar Khan has drafted at the offensive line position. In his 2025 season, Anderson started in a career-high seven games, while also appearing in 17 of them.
Steelers Need Offensive Line To Round Out Ahead Of Regular Season
It is very important that the offensive line really starts to round out and the coaching staff gets an idea of who they want to become the starters for the unit ahead of the 2026 NFL season. This will allow them time to start working together more in practices to really find chemistry as they are tasked with the important job of protecting the 42-year-old Rodgers at quarterback. The front office did a great job of adding weapons for McCarthy to use at his disposal given his offensive-minded coaching style this offseason.
Offensive Coordinator Brian Angelichio spoke with reporters following the game on Friday against New York. During the media scrum, he mentioned one area in which he wanted to see the offense improve. During the show on Monday, Essex graded the offensive linemen following their performances from the second preseason game. Anderson, who seemingly is starting to earn a job at the right guard position, received a grade of "85%" from the former NFL offensive lineman.
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Steelers' Spencer Anderson prepares to block in a 2023 preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons.
The fourth-year lineman now has a giant opportunity in front of him for one of the NFL's most storied franchises. On top of that, he has the tall task of providing pass protection for a four-time NFL MVP at quarterback who also has won a Super Bowl in his career. There is still work to be done with the offensive line ahead of the 2026 regular season; however, for a group that has gone through some shuffling, this development from Anderson is a great sign.
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