Steelers Could Consider An Absurd Change On Offense In 2026: "You Could Try It"

The Pittsburgh Steelers have made some necessary additions to the roster throughout the 2026 offseason, and it is fair to say that the franchise had one of the best free agency periods out of all the teams in the league. Weaknesses were addressed, the organization is in line for a compensatory pick or two during the 2027 offseason, and General Manager Omar Khan found good value across the board. That was especially seen in acquiring wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. and signing cornerback Jamel Dean. On paper, the roster is probably better than it was at this point during the 2025 offseason, but there is still some work to be done.

Adding Pittman was a great way to address the wide receiver position, but the room still needs work with the 2026 NFL Draft coming up. Other weak spots on the roster include the left side of the offensive line. Left guard Isaac Seumalo left the team in free agency as he signed with the Arizona Cardinals, while Broderick Jones has been dealing with a mysterious neck injury. It is still unknown how long he could be out, but there have been questions about whether or not he would even be ready to go by the time training camp rolls around. 

With the entire left side of the offensive line up in the air, there have been a few scenarios thrown out there by fans about what could happen moving forward. Someone asked beat writer Brian Batko in his mailbag for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Monday about the possibility of moving Jones to left guard.

"As for Broderick Jones moving to guard, I suppose you could try it as a last resort, but it'd be a lot of technical adjustments to make for someone who was already a fairly raw prospect with technique issues coming out at his natural position," Batko wrote.

Jones moving to guard was brought up as part of a scenario where Troy Fautanu would move to left tackle. Batko essentially shut down the idea of Fautanu switching sides of the offensive line, while he seemed to leave the door open for Jones to move into the guard spot.

Once Jones went down with the neck injury during the 2025 season, the Steelers had to find a replacement. Andrus Peat started at left tackle, but eventually the job went to Dylan Cook after Peat went down. Cook was a pleasant surprise at left tackle as he played really well for the Steelers down the stretch. There is certainly some hope that he could be the starter moving forward, but if Jones is healthy it will probably come down to a training camp battle between the two. The edge would likely go to Jones as he was a first-round pick, and that is the business side of football.

Both left tackle and left guard are concerning areas for the Steelers, but hopefully the fan base will have some more clarity on the left side of the line after the NFL Draft. It is a real toss-up on what the organization is going to do with the 21st overall pick as wide receiver, tackle, guard, and safety all seem to be on the table. Jones becoming an option at left guard would be interesting, especially when considering how much he has already been forced to bounce around.

Steelers' Offensive Line Is The Most Interesting Part Of 2026 Offseason

There has been a lot of discussion around Aaron Rodgers and his future, and that is interesting, but the offensive line has not been getting as much coverage as it should be. Jones' injury alone is something that has not been discussed too much, and the serious uncertainty at left tackle and left guard is concerning for a team. Spencer Anderson and Brock Hoffman are names to watch on the interior, although any young linemen who are brought in through the 2026 NFL Draft should have a chance to fight for a starting job on the left side.

What do you think about the current state of the offensive line in Pittsburgh? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!

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