Behind the Steel Curtain
The Pittsburgh offensive line could be the story of the 2025 season.
The Steelers didn’t address a notable weakness from last season in the 2025 NFL Draft.
And no one really minded.
Despite having offensive line struggles in 2024, Pittsburgh didn’t reinforce the group much at all headed into the 2025 season.
In fairness, the Steelers' O-line was far from the league’s worst in 2024, but they certainly weren’t good. Last season, Pittsburgh was in the bottom half of the NFL when it came to telling statistics such as rushing yards before contact, quarterback pressure rate, and sack rate allowed, per NFL Plus. Pro Football Reference has even worse rankings for the team.
If you watched the Steelers in 2024, the eye test backs all those statistics up.
There were moments — rookie center Zach Frazier looked great; left tackle Dan Moore Jr. had flashes of good play — but instead of building up the group even more ahead of the 2025 season, Pittsburgh lost depth.
Two former starting linemen walked in free agency following the season. Moore signed a four-year, $82 million contract with the Tennessee Titans, and offensive guard James Daniels, who missed most of the 2024 season with a torn Achilles, went to the Dolphins on a three-year, $24 million deal.
The Steelers had a succession plan for both players, but losing two starting-capable linemen and drafting none is worth noting.
In 2025, Daniels will be replaced by the same player who replaced him in 2024: Mason McCormick.
McCormick, drafted in the fourth round in 2024, is one of many youthful talents on the Steelers' O-line’s starting five. Outside of veteran guard Isaac Seumalo, the rest of the group was drafted in 2023 or later.
That inexperience is one of the main reasons why the Steelers are giving the offensive line another chance in 2025: Their best football is still ahead of them.
Broderick Jones, who looks to be replacing Moore at left tackle, has spent his two-year NFL career on the right side of the line and is finally getting the chance to switch back to his natural position. Frazier is already a quality center, but he was still a rookie in 2024.
McCormick showed potential last year, but had to jump from FCS football to NFL defenses in just a few months. And right tackle Troy Fautanu didn’t even get one full NFL game under his belt before he suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 2. He did look promising, though.
There’s not a lot we know about this group. The starting lineup of Jones-Seumalo-Frazier-McCormick-Fautanu has never appeared in a regular season game. It’s a safe bet that the interior of the line will be a strength, but both tackles — one of the most important positions in the sport — come with questions.
But there’s reason to believe the results could be good, or at least, better than last year. That’s arguably the biggest reason why the Steelers stayed put at O-line in...
