Roster breakdown: Pittsburgh Steelers 2021 offensive line

Matt Feiler went from being the starting right tackle to the starting left guard in 2021.

At the start of the 2020 season, I was excited that Feiler was switching to guard as I felt he didn’t have the lateral quickness I would have hoped for in a starting tackle in the NFL. Yet, after seeing him in action I started losing hope. It was clear that he tried putting on a little weight to aid his transition but it did not look like muscle.

Status: Free agent

Projected Contract: 2 yr $12 million total

While I think that price is a bit hefty after watching him start the last two seasons, he surprisingly ranks as the 3rd best free-agent guard by PFF. That is more due to such a low crop of talent in the free-agent pool. He didn’t look strong enough to play inside oftentimes getting bullied by bigger interior defensive linemen, even if they weren’t quite stars. He had his highest PFF grade as a tackle, but couldn’t deal with speed on the edge. Where he lands, and what position he plays shouldn’t matter as much to Steeler fans as he likely won’t be back in Pittsburgh in 2021.

There are no projected replacements for him in the draft

Kevin Dotson will win the starting job at left guard, no matter what competition is brought in. It could be a veteran backup or a flier late in the draft for depth. Dotson was the best offensive lineman we fielded in 2020 and it is still a headscratcher to a lot of people as to why he wasn’t in the starting lineup come playoff time.

The interior of the line already looked improved just by filling in Dotson for Feiler why Feiler was injured. I fully expect the Steelers to start Dotson at this position for a very long time. As a result, I did not feel the need to offer early-round draft replacements for Feiler in this breakdown. This is one of the few no-brainers the Steelers have for the offensive line in 2021.