Steelers Now
UNITY TWP., Pa. — The Pittsburgh Steelers have placed starting left guard Isaac Seumalo on the non-football injury list, head coach Mike Tomlin announced on Wednesday after the team reported to training camp at St. Vincent College.
Seumalo is dealing with a soft-tissue injury that Tomlin said could slow him down at the start of training camp.
Seumalo is the only Steelers players that was not healthy enough to complete the team’s run test and pre-camp physicals on Wednesday. Tomlin also said that all 91 players on his team’s offseason roster have reported to camp.
With Seumalo unavailable, the Steelers will turn to third-year offensive lineman Spencer Anderson. Anderson played in all 17 games in 2024 and made four starts while Seumalo dealt with an early-season pectoral injury.
A seventh-round draft pick out of Maryland in 2023, Anderson played just one snap as a rookie, but appeared in 357 snaps of offense last season, per PFF. He also played right guard in place of an injured Mason McCormick late in the season.
Tomlin said the team has a lot of faith in Anderson if Seumalo’s absence becomes an extended one. He did not have a timeframe for Seumalo’s return.
“Certainly I’m comfortable with Spence,” Tomlin said. “Isaac didn’t get a lot of work in the spring and Spence did and Spence has played a lot of ball for us here in recent years, particularly at this position, and so no real angst in regards to that discussion.”
The Steelers’ other options to back up on the interior of the offensive line include veteran guard Max Scharping and center/guard Ryan McCollum, free agent signing Nick Broeker, second-year West Virginia alum Doug Nester and undrafted rookie Aidan Williams out of Division II Minnesota-Duluth.
The non-football injury list is utilized for players that are unable to physically participate in practice due to an injury (or illness) suffered outside of team games or practices.
Seumalo will still count against the team’s 90-man offseason roster while he is on the NFI list. While on the NFI list, he will not be able to participate in training camp practices or walkthroughs. If Seumalo remains on the NFI list to start the regular season, he would be forced to miss the first six weeks of the season.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Start Camp with Unexpected Injury Designation
