State of the Steelers: The Offensive Line

The Steelers head to their bye this week at 6-2 and sit alone atop first place in the AFC North. It’s a good time to take stock of the team by profiling the progress of each position group to this point in the season. First up — the offensive line.

Some of you have heard this before, but it’s worth repeating: between 2013-2022, the Steelers did not draft a single offensive lineman in the first or second round. They got by in those years with a mix of aging stars up front (Maurkice Pouncey, David DeCastro), undrafted free agents (Alejandro Villanueva, Ramon Foster) and journeyman veterans (Trai Turner, Mason Cole).

Eventually, their failure to invest in the line caught up to them. By the early 2020s, the Steelers were grading out as one of the worst lines in football. Their run game was sad, ranking among the bottom-third in yards-per-carry, total rushing and success rate.

In the passing game they didn’t give up a ton of sacks, but their struggle to protect various quarterbacks led to quick throws and one of the league’s least explosive attacks. That began to change when assistant general manager Andy Weidl arrived from Philadelphia. Weidl had helped build dominant lines in both Philly and Baltimore and began that process immediately in Pittsburgh.

In the four years Weidl has been with the Steelers, the team has selected six offensive linemen in the draft — with three in the first round and none later than the fourth. Four of those draftees are current starters, and a fifth, offensive tackle Broderick Jones, brought back third and sixth-round picks in the 2027 draft when he was traded to Dallas.

A position they mostly ignored for a decade has become a high priority, and the investment is paying off. It’s not just that those draft picks have become starters. They’ve meshed together to form one of the league’s best offensive lines.

Through eight games, they are third in PFF’s position group rankings. The run game leads the NFL in yards-per-carry and the team is third in rushing EPA. There have been some hiccups in pass protection, with individual players acclimating to either new positions (Troy Fautanu, Mason McCormick) or the NFL game in general (Max Iheanachor).

But Aaron Rodgers is averaging nearly a yard-and-a-half more air yards per attempt this season compared to last, which indicates more time to throw in general. Individually, the potential of the unit is high. Fautanu has struggled at times adjusting to the move from right to left tackle, particularly in pass protection.

But in the run game, the trio of Fautanu, McCormick and center Zach Frazier have already become dominant. Through eight games, the Steelers lead the NFL in every major category on runs to the left. The decision by the new coaching staff to keep Fautanu and McCormick together by flipping them both from right to left this season was a wise one.

Their chemistry is evident, and the results speak for themselves. McCormick, for his part, has become the heart and soul of the line. The fourth-round pick out of South Dakota State brought an attitude to this unit upon his arrival, and the group has adopted his physical mindset as their own.

McCormick was already popular with the fan base but may have earned folk hero status in Pittsburgh for his body slam of Browns defensive end Jared Verse on Sunday. Verse’s trash talk last week drew plenty of attention, and while McCormick said he was just doing his job with his WWE-style takedown of Verse, Steeler Nation thanked him for it: #Browns DE Jared Verse has been talking plenty of trash about the #Steelers ....

Well, Steelers G Mason McCormick just did this to him. 😳😳 pic.twitter.com/OP1iknS4JP — Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) November 1, 2026 On the right side of the line, free agent signee Brock Hoffman is the only starter who wasn’t drafted by Weidl. He was brought here from Dallas with Mike McCarthy, who deemed him an important swing lineman for his ability to play center and both guard positions.

Hoffman took over the starting right guard spot after Spencer Anderson struggled in the first two games and has been solid if not spectacular in that role. Iheanachor, the number one pick in last year’s draft, joined the starting line with Hoffman when he replaced Dylan Cook at right tackle.

“IMAX” has had his ups-and-downs but has acclimated to the NFL game more quickly than anticipated for a 21-year-old with just five years of football experience. His athleticism is through the roof and he’s shown surprising physicality in the run game. Iheanachor looks like a star in the making.

Which brings us to the center. Frazier is already a star. He has joined the conversation as one of the league’s best in just his third season.

He is the rock of the unit and already deserving of a place among the great centers in franchise history. If voting were conducted today, Frazier would be deserving of 1st-Team All-Pro honors. He’s simply that good.

The play of center Zach Frazier has been a huge reason why the Steelers lead the NFL in yards-per-carry the past five weeks. In the clips here, you see his power, quickness, technique and tenacity. PIT's OL is now among the league's best, and Frazier has been the catalyst. pic.twitter.com/iI9ViAsk5K — Kevin Smith (@KTSmithFootball) October 29, 2026 In the past two weeks, McCarthy has revisited Arthur Smith’s Jumbo package integrating Anderson into the lineup as well.

Anderson wasn’t powerful or consistent enough to be a starter, but his athleticism and versatility makes him perfectly suited for the role in Jumbo. The Steelers have run the ball 24 times out of Jumbo this season and have gained 132 yards for an average of 5.5 yards per carry. That’s especially impressive when you consider that when Anderson enters the game as a sixth lineman, defenses know what’s coming.

When a team can run the ball when everyone knows they’re going to run it, they’re really on to something. #Steelers have done some real damage in jumbo package in recent weeks. Really nice job here on the backside from Brock Hoffman, Max Iheanachor and Spencer Anderson to get hats on defenders and clear a cutback lane for Jaylen Warren.

15 yards in the blink of an eye. pic.twitter.com/8Kvf7pnRdA — Josh Carney (@ByJoshCarney) November 2, 2026 Pittsburgh has been so good up front this season that there’s been no need to rush this year’s third-round draft pick, Iowa guard Gennings Dunker, into the lineup. Dunker is a mauler in the run game in the McCormick mode, and most believe he’ll eventually take over for Hoffman.

But he’s raw in pass protection, and with Hoffman playing well, Dunker has time to develop that aspect of his game before he needs to see the field. Two other factors have made this line special. One is continuity.

The team has had the same starting five up front for the past six weeks, and the chemistry they’re developing is paying off. The other is coaching. New line coach James Campen has made a difference in the development of this group.

The Steelers are allowing less run-throughs than in recent seasons and the overall communication and demeanor of the unit is better. The three C’s have been huge when it comes to the play of the line: commitment, continuity and coaching. One more thing: the average age of the top eight linemen is 25.5, and no one is older than 28.

Put it all together and I can definitively say that the state of the offensive line in Pittsburgh is strong.