Steelers' Former First-Round Pick Is A "Forgotten Man" Right Now

The Pittsburgh Steelers have consistently been a team that remains competitive throughout the regular season, but comes up short in the playoffs in recent years. This results in the Black and Gold having a draft pick in the mid-to-late first round. With these picks, the Steelers brass has decided that loading up the trenches is the best route for them. With the team's last four first-round selections, they've selected either an offensive or defensive lineman to add to their front. Pittsburgh's tradition of being a tough team up front continued with 2026's first-rounder, offensive tackle Max Iheanachor. 

With the addition of the rookie tackle, it's clear that the offensive line is moving towards a group of young, homegrown talent. The tackle room is especially loaded with a budding star in Troy Fautanu; he'll make the switch over to the left side this season, leaving the right tackle position with plenty of options. The depth at the line is a good thing; the season's wear and tear often leads to obvious injuries, but it also creates a key position battle heading into 2026. With seemingly three players fighting for the spot -- Iheanachor, Dylan Cook, and Broderick Jones -- the choice will be a tough one for Steelers coaches. 

Training camp, which is coming up in July, will have huge implications for the direction at right tackle. With two players with starting experience, Cook and Jones, and a rookie first-round pick, the stakes are high for the three trying to gain the starting spot. While the road will be tough for Iheanachor, it may be even harder for another first-round tackle. On the Steelers Standard podcast, writer Brian Batko made a shocking claim on Jones' 2026 role. 

"It just feels like he's in no man's land a little bit right now, and that's just an unfortunate reality of when you get hurt in any sport. But especially the NFL, the train has no choice but to roll on. He's gonna work off to the side, work while he waits to get cleared, and you hope he's doing everything he can to stay in the best shape that he can be in good condition so that when he is cleared for full contact, he can hit the ground running. But he's a little bit of a forgotten man right now I think in that offensive line room, as they just have no choice but to make plans without him for 2026," Batko said. 

Jones suffered a grueling neck injury in the 2025 regular season that has kept him off the field even through the team's offseason activities so far. The tackle looked like he was slowly improving in 2025, but after the injury and Cook filling in at the spot a lot better than many would have thought, the cards are stacked against him. 

Jones will have to prove his worth, but first, he has to get on the field. While he's still rehabbing his injury, coaches and staff are getting a long look at Cook and Iheanachor. With the rookie already impressing his teammates, and Cook having some potential, Jones could be left in the dust. The right tackle spot will be one of the most interesting battles to watch in camp. If Jones finds his way into the mix, though, it could make things even tougher. 

What's The Best Option For The Steelers? 

This all depends on Jones, but Cook has proved that he can be a solid option. With four starts, he showed that he could handle being relied on, but would a bigger role on a different side be too much to handle? He seems like the safe option, as of now, especially after the Steelers learned their lesson with throwing a raw first-rounder out at tackle. Jones was that case, and he took longer to develop and wasn't put in a great position to grow. That could be a fear with Iheanachor, but camp will dictate that. 

It will be fun to watch how the tackles stack up against each other. It's yet another position that could be determined based on offseason performance. The Steelers will have their hands full with this one. 

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