You would be hard-pressed to find anyone who thought the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive line improved in 2024 and there were reasons for this. Injuries and guys playing out of position were two of the major ones but there were also some positives too.
Let’s Start There
It would certainly appear that the Steelers have once again found their center for the next decade. Zach Frazier was named this week by the Pro Football Writers as the league’s top rookie center and with good reason. Initially, the Steelers planned to bring him along slowly while Nate Herbig anchored the middle of the O-Line.
When Herbig went down for the season, Frazier stepped up and played as consistently well as any player along the front. His combination of balance, phone booth power and smarts was a huge plus for a unit that badly needed a force in the middle. He’s got things to clean up as any rookie does but he’s on the path to be another great Steelers’ center.
Next to Frazier for the majority of the season at right guard was fellow rookie Mason McCormick. The hulking former Jackrabbit from South Dakota State was thought to be a developmental piece this year but when James Daniels went down with an Achilles injury McCormick was forced into action.
While he didn’t find the success that Frazier did, there was a lot to like about his game. Physicality is not an issue. His technique has to get better as does his recognition but the arrow is up for him.
Now for the Negative
Dan Moore was thrust into a starting role as a rookie and he fared well at what most consider the toughest spot on the line. The problem is that he just never improved.
Too often pass rushers got inside of him and used power to drive him into the QB’s lap while at the same time speed rushers consistently got around his outside. Don’t be surprised by the amount of money that Moore will get in free agency. A left tackle with four years of starting experience will have great demand but it won’t likely be in Pittsburgh.
Broderick Jones is a bit of a mystery. On one hand we could say he’s been played out of position. His more natural left tackle spot was held by Moore and when Troy Fautanu was lost for the season, Jones had to start at right tackle.
Making matters worse was that Jones was also dealing with an injury to his elbow that left his ‘punch’ with the effectiveness of a pillow. The rumor coming from the front office is that with Moore likely gone, Jones will go back to left tackle while Fautanu anchors the right. Whether he gets the coaching he needs is another question and I’ll address that below.
The Good/Bad
Isaac Seumalo was a little bit of both this year. The veteran and most experienced of the OL group, Seumalo battled some injuries but he also just didn’t look like himself at times.
He was beaten in pass protection and didn’t appear to have the same ‘road grader’ style of run blocking I’ve seen before. To be fair to Seumalo, there were absolutely times when the right calls weren’t made or guys just flat-out didn’t execute the play as they were supposed to. This often left him on an island. I’m really curious to see what the Steelers do with Seumalo in 2025.
The Needs “Immediate Attention” Category
Pat Meyer needs to go. The offensive line coach has done what he could but there just hasn’t been the type of improvement we need to see. I’ll be fair to Meyer when it comes to Jones playing out of position simply because I tend to believe that was a Mike Tomlin decision. Either way Jones struggled playing out of position.
Not since Mike Munchak was here have the Steelers had a reputable Offensive Line Coach. Adrian Klemm left mid season. Sean Sarratt struggled as did Jack Bicknell, Jr. It’s high time for the Steelers to invest heavily in an experienced and respected offensive line coach especially when you consider the youth of this group.
In the 2022 and 2023 seasons we saw improvement along the offensive line in the second half of each of those seasons. In 2024 that never occurred and you could actually say it went in the wrong direction. To me that begins and ends with Meyer.
