Over the past two offseasons, the Pittsburgh Steelers have added a lot of talent to their offensive line. It started with the free agent signing of veteran OG Isaac Seumalo, and then the team selected OT Broderick Jones and OL Spencer Anderson in the 2023 NFL Draft. They followed up with three of their first five picks in the NFL Draft of 2024 spent on offensive linemen. The opportunity to compete for a starting job or roster spot is always present at the professional level, but there’s no doubt the bar has been raised for that unit over the past 14 months. Where does that leave Anderson, a 2023 seventh-round draft pick?
Former Steelers OL and current color analyst Craig Wolfley was asked about several of the team’s new offensive linemen in Nation projectand praised Anderson.
“Spencer Anderson was a guy I looked at a lot last year in training camp because he had ability in multiple positions and he showed it when he came into games. He’s a smart, tough guy, able to learn on the fly,” Wolfley said. “And a guy who doesn’t repeat mistakes. That is the most important. You’ve got to have a guy who doesn’t keep making the same mistake over and over again.”
Anderson practiced at multiple positions last offseason as a rookie, but told the media that the Steelers want him to now focus on one guard position full-time. While the starting lineup is pretty firmly set at the position between James Daniels and Seumalo, neither player is likely to be on the roster for long. Daniels’ contract expires after this year and is not expected to be renewed. Seumalo is 30 years old and has two seasons left on his contract. With a roster bonus expiring next offseason and much of his salary unguaranteed, the Steelers could move on from him after the 2024 season to make way for younger, cheaper options like Anderson and Mason McCormick.
It will be up to the young point guards to force the issue, but the depth and level of competition is a big problem for the team. Some of the best offensive lines the Steelers have had included a combination of high draft picks and late or undrafted players. The 2018 unit consisted of two first-round picks, a second-round pick and a pair of undrafted free agents. Just because Anderson has the lowest level of investment in him of the group doesn’t mean he’s the odd one out.
That said, they will have to make some tough decisions when it comes time to reduce the roster from 90 to 53 at the end of August. In 2023, the Steelers kept nine total offensive linemen on the 53-man roster. In 2022, they are left with eight. But each year, they only kept five interior employees. If you do the math, that leaves two open spots behind the projected starting three of Seumalo, Zach Frazier and Daniels. McCormick’s job feels pretty secure as a fourth-round pick, so there should be a competition between Anderson and Nate Herbig for one of the last spots on the offensive line.
Herbig brings more experience and played quite well in the limited snaps he had at guard in the 2023 season, but his contract expires after this year and he carries a higher price tag than the seventh-round rookie. Both players provide positional flexibility, which could be a decisive factor in the competition.
Anderson has received nothing but positive reports over the past two offseasons, so this will be one of the key contests to watch during training camp next month. If Anderson wins, he could have a path to becoming a starter at some point over the next two seasons.
