Steelers Rookie Max Iheanachor Will Get A Chance To Shine Soon: "It Won't Be Too Long"

The Pittsburgh Steelers went with a very interesting strategy in the 2026 NFL Draft. Even though this is supposed to be Aaron Rodgers' last ride, they selected players that are not expected to make an immediate impact for the most part. Outside of fullback and return man, everyone that Pittsburgh drafted is beginning Week 1 as a backup with the idea of them focusing on mechanics while, in some cases, occasionally getting some work on the field as rotational pieces. This class will be impossible to truly judge until about Year 3 or 4. 

Despite all that, there has been a lot of excitement about one rookie, as he could get into the fold quickly. In his weekly Q&A chats, Gerry Dulac explained when one of the top rookies will get his shot to be a full-time starter.

"Soon..." Dulac said. "It won't be long. You'll see [Max Iheanachor] get worked in there right away."

Even with the viral draft blunder, first-round rookie Max Iheanachor was selected due to the potential the Steelers saw in him. He is very inexperienced overall, as he did not start playing football until he enrolled in junior college before transferring to D1. The upside and talent are clearly there; he just needs to work on getting everything mastered at the professional level. 

Iheanachor unfortunately suffered a neck/shoulder injury during training camp, which cost him the first two preseason games. That also meant that he lost any real chance of winning the starting job in Week 1. For a supposed long-term project that is very raw, it felt like it could have been a season-killer. The way that the right tackle has bounced back proves the exact opposite, however. 

Iheanachor had a rough start to his preseason debut, but he quickly found form and adjusted well. He looks like a player who can handle the struggles of being thrown into the water to see if he can swim. Despite the limited reps he had throughout August, the first-round pick has been developing nicely overall. At this rate, the Steelers will have no choice but to start him and see what he can do before October hits.

Iron sharpens iron. In Iheanachor's limited practice reps, he has had to protect his quarterback from arguably the single-best edge rusher group in the NFL. It doesn't matter if he has to defend against TJ Watt's bend, Alex Highsmith's power, or Nick Herbig's speed; the young tackle had to figure out how to stop each of them on a regular basis. If he can figure that out, he should be fine against nearly any other team.

Steelers May Be Forced To Start Iheanachor For Less Exciting Reasons

The other side of this is that offensive tackle seems to be a weak position for the Steelers overall. Broderick Jones got traded away after a very disappointing preseason, leaving Iheanachor as the only backup tackle. Dylan Cook will get the start in Week 1, and while he looked great on the blind side in 2025, he has not looked great while working on the other side.

If Cook's struggles continue into the regular season, Iheanachor may end up getting the start just to see if they can get a spark out of the line. That would be the more concerning outlook, as he would play out of need and desperation, rather than because he is actually ready. He may need a lot of help from the extra tight end if he's also not ready to start just yet.

Troy Fautanu will get the start at left tackle, but there is no backup on Pittsburgh's official depth chart. If he unfortunately gets injured, the most likely scenario would be Cook switching sides, which would put Iheanachor in at right tackle. He has shown the ability to adjust mid-game in the preseason, but he may have to do that again during the regular season.

What do you think about Iheanachor starting sooner rather than later? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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