The Pittsburgh Steelers casually made history when they elected to keep 11 rookies (10 draft picks plus undrafted free agent Kevin Jobity Jr.) on the initial 53-man roster. Ironically, most of these rookies have hardly seen the field early in the 2026 season. That includes first-round pick Max Iheanachor.
The big offensive tackle has only seen the field for four combined offensive snaps in the first two seasons. These either came late in the game or when he was forced to step in for a play because Troy Fautanu got banged up.
While most NFL teams inserted their top draft choice into the lineup from Day 1, the Steelers did not. Now, as several starters continue to struggle, Iheanachor is biding his time and waiting for his opportunity to join the starting offensive line.
But there's already a clear scenario where Gennings Dunker, the Steelers' third-round rookie offensive lineman, sees the field long before Iheanachor.
The Pittsburgh Steelers could insert Gennings Dunker into the starting offensive line before Max Iheanachor
The reason is simple: it's not that the Steelers believe Dunker is the better player or that they have more confidence in Dunker at this stage than they do in Iheanachor—it's that the performance at right guard early in the season may require drastic changes very soon.
Through two weeks, Spencer Anderson has been nothing short of a nightmare. The 2023 seventh-round pick has made a plethora of mistakes while getting manhandled at the point of attack. Pro Football Focus has credited Anderson with five pressures allowed, while earning a 42.6 pass-blocking grade entering Week 3 [$].
In Week 2 against the Patriots, Anderson allowed the strip-sack on Aaron Rodgers that resulted in a defensive touchdown for New England. Anderson could be on his way out of the lineup already, as backup guard/center Brock Hoffman ramps up his work with the starting offense in practice.
But it's only a matter of time before Hoffman is replaced as well.
If Hoffman gets the nod against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3, the Steelers will quickly learn of his shortcomings. Hoffman would be tasked with trying to contain All-Pro Dexter Lawrence. While Hoffman could prove to be better than Anderson when he gets his shot, it's unlikely to be enough to satisfy Mike McCarthy and the coaching staff.
At right tackle, Dylan Cook's performance hasn't been nearly as egregious as Anderson's. Though Cook has had a couple of ugly reps early in the season, his overall performance has been much stronger. Thus, the Steelers may not have a good enough reason to pull the 28-year-old right tackle from the lineup and replace him with an inexperienced rookie.
At guard, however, the Pittsburgh Steelers may soon have no choice but to turn to Dunker. Both Anderson and Hoffman lack elite size and physical traits at guard and can be moved too easily at the point of attack. Dunker, though raw, possesses a prototype guard frame with a powerful core and anchoring ability.
Eventually—and perhaps even by the end of the season—we can expect to see both Gennings Dunker and Max Iheanachor man the right side of the Steelers' offensive line. But right now, there's a clearer path for Dunker to start early in his rookie season than there is for Iheanachor.
Second-round wide receiver Germie Bernard is the only Steelers rookie out of 11 who is being used somewhat routinely on either side of the ball. Perhaps it's time for that to change.
Dunker has a chance to be the first rookie from Pittsburgh's 2026 draft class to be inserted into the lineup as a full-time starter, but that might still be several weeks away.
Add us as a preferred source on Google