After what we witnessed during the preseason, most fans expect the Pittsburgh Steelers to go through growing pains on their offensive line. Rookie draft picks Max Iheanachor and Gennings Dunker each had a few ugly reps in the preseason finale, while their starting offensive line underwhelmed in first-quarter action in the team's first two exhibition games.
As a result, the Steelers struggled to create running lanes on the ground in August while failing to hold up consistently in pass protection. Meanwhile, offensive tackles Troy Fautanu and Dylan Cook were put under the microscope after shaky preseason performances.
Despite this, the Steelers felt comfortable enough to trade away valuable offensive line depth when they sent Broderick Jones packing to the Dallas Cowboys.
Yet there's still more than enough reason for optimism.
On Tuesday, offensive line guru Brandon Thorn dropped some interesting stats on NFL O-lines around the league, including the combined weight of the heaviest and lightest offensive tackle duos and interior trios in the NFL. Thorn also broke down the youngest and oldest offensive lines in the NFL.
With a combined age of 124 among their top five players, Pittsburgh's O-line group is the third-youngest in the league, trailing only the Miami Dolphins (122) and Detroit Lions (123). Compared to the other end of the spectrum, the San Francisco 49ers have a combined O-line age of 155, followed by the Denver Broncos at 150.
Pittsburgh Steelers fans should be encouraged by team's impressive O-line youth
Let's be clear: being young in the NFL isn't the same as being good. Just because a team happens to be young at a position doesn't mean that infusing youth will yield results on the field.
What it does suggest, however, is that a team potentially has more upside and room for growth. And there might not be an offensive line in the league with the upside the Steelers possess.
The Steelers struck gold on a trio of offensive linemen in the 2024 draft class with center Zach Fraszier, offensive tackle Troy Fautanu, and guard Mason McCormick. And while all three are not guaranteed to be the long-term solutions for this team, it's starting to look that way.
While players like Spencer Anderson and Dylan Cook might not inspire the same hope, it's important to remember that Max Iheanachor and Gennings Dunker were drafted to be the future of the right side of Pittsburgh's offensive line. Both rookies will be just 23 years old when the 2026 season concludes, and they each possess incredible upside, thanks to their rare size, strength, and athletic profiles.
The future of the offensive line looks bright. Fautanu (25), McCormick (26), Frazier (25), Dunker (23), and Iheanachor (22) have an average age of just over 24. And if we are talking about this group of five, their combined age of 121 is the youngest in the NFL.
This is an inexperienced unit, and even if they struggle at times, the hope of what this group could be should give Steelers fans plenty of reason to be patient with Pittsburgh's offense.
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