All signs point to the Pittsburgh Steelers having a strong start to their first year under head coach Mike McCarthy. They continued to invest heavily in the trenches, and while the quarterback issue is still at large, the rest of the team has come together.
However, that won’t mean there aren’t some growing pains.
While the defense is expected to take some steps forward (and they better, given how highly paid they are), the offense should be consistent. However, given the recent shifts on the offensive line, there could be some early issues.
The Pittsburgh Steelers may already have a weak link brewing thanks to OL shuffling
Despite heavy investments in the offensive line, there could be issues from the start. In particular, the right side of the line could be an extremely new group for the 2026 season.
Previously, the right side was manned by Troy Fautanu and Mason McCormick. Given the early reports, the former right tackle and guard are moving to the left side.
On paper, this makes sense. While the league no longer views the right and left sides so differently, both Fautanu and McCormick played on the left side in college. They’ve adapted to the right side, but could thrive returning to their more natural position.
This leaves the right side in question, though. While the team invested their top pick in Max Iheanachor, he was considered a raw prospect by the league. Banking on him starting the whole season is a risk.
Then there is the right guard spot. Spencer Anderson and Brock Hoffman are the veterans, but neither has been full time starters. Gennings Dunker is the presumed future, but he has to go through a position switch and prove his worth before being counted on.
To be clear, tackle and guard were always going to be question marks. That said, if Pittsburgh was so willing to move pieces around along the line, they could have added a proven player to help smooth things over for the right side.
It felt like a more natural move to put Fautanu on the left side and pair him with a new guard. That way, McCormick could help out on the right side.
Long-term, this could certainly work out, especially if Iheanachor gets up to speed quickly. For the short-term, though, there could be a few kinks that need to be worked out. Expect some early growing pains from the right side of the line.
Add us as a preferred source on Google