Steelers Now
A former Pittsburgh Steeler believes the team could have a surprising starter on their offensive line in 2026.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have invested heavily into their offensive line over the past few years. However, former Steelers offensive lineman Trai Essex believes a surprising player could end up being one of the team’s starters in 2026.
Essex predicts Spencer Anderson will win one of the Steelers starting jobs at offensive guard.
“I think Spencer Anderson has the edge because he has the experience,” Essex said. “He needs to get low. He needs to work on his pass protection and his footwork and his hand placement. Spencer Anderson, I think, has the edge, and I think he wins that battle when it comes to training camp.”
Anderson, 25, was selected in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Maryland, but he has exceeded expectations to start his NFL career.
The 6-foot-5, 305-pounder has filled in quite nicely while making 11 starts over the past two seasons.
However, the Steelers brought in a ton of competition for him this offseason in Dallas Cowboys free agent Brock Hoffman and third-round rookie Gennings Dunker.
Anderson does have the upper hand in his experience in Pittsburgh, but that may mean nothing with a new coaching regime taking over.
Hoffman played for Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy in Dallas and new offensive line coach James Campen said that everybody will get a fair shot at earning a starting spot, no matter how they wound up in black and gold.
“Camp’s cool. Obviously, he’s been around for a while,” Anderson said. “He was in Green Bay for however many years, and obviously he’s coached a lot of All-Pro guys and high-level players, so it’s been good having him being around and just learning some new techniques, different from one’s I’ve learned in the past.”
Only time will tell how the Steelers offensive line will shake out, but it’s safe to assume Anderson has as good of a shot as anyone at this point of the offseason.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Former Steeler Predicts Unlikely Starter on Offensive Line
