The Pittsburgh Steelers released their Week 1 depth chart, and nobody should have been shocked to see Dylan Cook listed as the starting right tackle. But just because he was listed as a starter doesn't mean starting Cook against the Atlanta Falcons would be the right choice for Mike McCarthy.
Back in April, the Steelers spent the 21st overall selection in the 2026 NFL Draft on Arizona State right tackle Max Iheanachor. Despite missing nearly three weeks of practice in August due to a neck/sholder injury, Iheanachor suited up for the preseason finale... and the results were encouraging.
Outside of one bad rep in pass protection, the big offensive tackle showed off a remarkable blend of size, power, and foot quickness. It was these rare traits that drew general manager Omar Khan and the Steelers to Iheanachor in the first place.
While we can safely assume that the rookie offensive tackle will go through growing pains when he sees the field, there's a great reason to deploy him from Day 1: the Steelers have an incredibly favorable matchup against the Falcons' pass rush.
Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons would be the perfect time for the Pittsburgh Steelers to deploy Max Iheanachor
I might not be saying this had it not been for the unfortunate circumstances in Atlanta. Earlier in the Falcons' training camp, 2025 first-round pick Jalon Walker suffered an ACL injury that ended his 2026 campaign before it ever began. Then, just 10 days later, fellow 2025 first-rounder James Pearce was suspended for eight games for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy.
And just like that, Falcons were without their talented, young edge rusher duo.
This is more than enough cause for McCarthy to pull the trigger on Iheanachor and start him at right tackle from Day 1. There's no better time to get acclimated to the NFL stage than early in your career against subpar competition.
Currently on the Falcons' Week 1 depth chart, Cameron Thomas and Brandon Dorlus are listed as the starting defensive ends for Atlanta. Thomas has bounced around the NFL with four different teams since 2022 while averaging just 1.9 sacks per season. Dorlus, meanwhile, had a productive 8.5-sack campaign last year, but the 290-pound defensive lineman will be forced to play on the edge in the absence of Walker and Pearce.
Quite frankly, Iheanachor isn't going to get a better matchup than this all season.
This isn't to say that it would be all sunshine and rainbows for the rookie if McCarthy elected to start Iheanachor. Considering how raw he is—and how new he is to the game, in general—Iheanachor has a learning curve ahead. But there's no better time to play him than Week 1.
In addition to beginning his NFL career with a favorable matchup, Iheanachor would be gaining much-needed experience early in the season. This means that, by the end of the year, he will have had time to iron out the mechanical kinks and make a bigger jump if Pittsburgh makes it to the playoffs.
Starting Dylan Cook doesn't move the needle for the Steelers, and we know the right tackle job is going to belong to Max Iheanachor soon anyway. It only makes sense to start the rookie in Week 1 against the Falcons, and Mike McCarthy needs to reconsider who should take the field at right tackle on Sunday.
Add us as a preferred source on Google