The Pittsburgh Steelers still have a question mark looming over the right tackle position with their regular season opener on the horizon. Dylan Cook is the presumed starter, for now, but nothing has been announced as fans are still in the dark about what direction the team wants to go.
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Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Dylan Cook (60) during 2026 training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
Pittsburgh's offensive line has been one of the biggest headlines of the preseason as the team has rotated a plethora of players at different positions to try and put together what it thinks is the best starting five up front.
Cook has been working with the first-team offense for the majority of the preseason, with all signs pointing to him being the starter at right tackle. What puts this in question is the fact that the Steelers used their 2026 first-round draft pick to select offensive tackle Max Iheanachor 21st overall.
Iheanachor was a standout player in his two full seasons with the Arizona State Sun Devils, earning Second-Team All-Big 12 honors during his final season. His performance elevated his draft stock tremendously, and while he was seen as a very raw prospect because he did not begin playing American football until 2021, he still showed enough promise for the Steelers to invest a first-round pick in him.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers rookie offensive lineman Max Iheanachor arrives in Pittsburgh in April of 2026.
Iheanachor was born in Nigeria and moved to the United States at age 13. His football career began at East Los Angeles College, a JUCO school, where he quickly became the seventh-rated overall junior college prospect in the class of 2023.
Pittsburgh has very high hopes for the Nigerian native, but he might not have the chance to showcase his raw talent right away. During a recent episode of The PM Team w/Poni and Mueller, Steelers beat reporter for PennLive, Nick Farabaugh, explained the plan that the organization has for Iheanachor.
"It's likely Dylan Cook [starting]," Farabaugh said. "Iheanachor's injury made it so he is not in football shape to play 60-plus snaps. If [the Steelers] have to start him after Week 4, they could. They are trying to bring him along perfectly so his technique base builds up."
As mentioned, Iheanachor is a very raw player, due to his inexperience. Young offensive linemen, especially tackles, are prone to struggling in their first couple of seasons in the NFL. The game is faster, the opposing pass rushers are much more athletic and skilled, and the transition period is rocky.
It is very rare to find an offensive tackle that is truly NFL-ready and shows it immediately with little to no hiccups. It is refreshing to see Pittsburgh with the plan to bring Iheanachor on slowly so that he has plenty of time to develop, something fans have not really seen as the team has been scrambling to rebuild the offensive line for quite some time now.
While Iheanachor is being given time to grow in the Steel City, the team has an urgent need to solidify the offensive line. Pittsburgh seems to be on its last leg of the "win-now" mode mentality, and the offensive line being young and inexperienced could seriously harm the Steelers' chances of seeing playoff success this upcoming NFL season.
Steelers Have Been Making Moves Along Offensive Front
Iheanachor was not the only move the Steelers made regarding the offensive line this offseason. The organization also used the 96th overall pick on Iowa Hawkeyes offensive lineman Gennings Dunker. Dunker has struggled in the preseason, but also seems to be a project player for the Steelers, similar to Iheanachor.
Most recently, Pittsburgh shipped off former 14th overall pick Broderick Jones to the Dallas Cowboys. This came as a bit of a shock, but the writing was on the wall for Jones to suit up for a new squad after the 2025 season, as he never really found his footing as an NFL offensive tackle.
The Steelers have truly struggled to find consistent success along the offensive line and it has hindered the progress of the offense as a whole. It is crucial that Pittsburgh put together a solid unit for the 2026 NFL season, or a full rebuild for the organization is a real possibility very soon.
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