The Pittsburgh Steelers' offensive line has struggled mightily as a unit through the first two weeks of the 2026 season, and they now have one less option to go to if things don't improve. According to NFL reporter Tom Pelissero, rookie third-round guard Gennings Dunker was placed on Injured Reserve on Saturday, and he is expected to miss the next 4-6 weeks with an MCL sprain suffered during practice this week.
Dunker was inactive for each of the Steelers' first two games this season, so it isn't a "loss" in the short term. With how poorly Spencer Anderson has played at right guard (not to mention his foot injury), however, a path to playing time could have been close to opening up for the youngster out of Iowa.
Pittsburgh does have the option to insert veteran Brock Hoffman into the lineup to try to shake things up, but Dunker is the one who is supposed to be the future at that spot. Instead, fans will need to wait at least a month before he gets a chance.
Pittsburgh Steelers won't have the option to go full youth movement along the offensive line with Gennings Dunker out
As soon as Dunker and fellow rookie OL Max Iheanachor were drafted, many fans were hoping to see them enter the lineup immediately to maximize the upside of the offensive line. A group of Dunker, Iheanachor, Zach Frazier, Mason McCormick, and Troy Fautanu would give the Steelers a starting five of players who are all still on rookie contracts, something you rarely see in the NFL.
Pittsburgh instead chose to go with Anderson and veteran Dylan Cook on the right side of the line, moving Fautanu and McCormick over to the left side. It's been...underwhelming, to say the least.
Cook has been serviceable, but even he is clearly a limited player who lacks any real upside. Iheanachor has a real chance of supplanting him soon, but was Dunker actually close to jumping both Anderson and Hoffman before his knee injury?
It's impossible to say for sure unless you are in the Steelers building every day, but I personally don't think so. As talented a run blocker as he already is, his deficiencies in pass protection were painfully obvious during training camp and in the preseason. He is still figuring things out after moving inside to guard after starring at tackle at Iowa, so it's understandable if he just isn't ready yet.
With protecting Aaron Rodgers already being an issue with the current group, I doubt Mike McCarthy and the rest of the offensive staff would have been willing to potentially make things worse. Still, Dunker's injury could prevent him from seeing the field at all in 2026, which would continue a rough trend for the Steelers' recent third-round picks.
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