After an aggressive offseason in which the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Russell Wilson and Patrick Queen while trading Kenny Pickett, the team made its intentions clear during the 2024 NFL Draft. The Steelers took three offensive linemen with their first four picks, with the only non-lineman being Michigan wideout Roman Wilson. In the later rounds, Pittsburgh added defensive depth at crucial positions.
With training camp heating up and preseason contests underway, the battle for starting positions could leave several 2023 first-stringers on the bench. The competition is the strongest on the offensive line, where all three rookies have solid shots at first-team roles. Considering the strong showings from these rookies, here are three Steelers first-stringers in danger of losing starting jobs ahead of the 2024 NFL season.
Dan Moore Jr. (OT), James Daniels, (OG), Nate Herbig (C)
The Steelers revamped their offensive line during the offseason. The team drafted three o-linemen — Troy Fautanu, Zach Frazier, and Mason McCormick — with their first five picks in the NFL Draft. Fautanu is battling to slot in at one of the tackle spots opposite Broderick Jones, Frazier has a strong chance to take over at center, and McCormick is a contender to start at the right guard spot. Left guard Isaac Seumalo is also secure in his spots, leaving returning linemen James Daniels, Dan Moore Jr., and Nate Herbig to worry about their starting roles.
Daniels has made 32 starts during his two seasons in Pittsburgh, and while he has hardly been a standout player, he was among the more consistent players on a mediocre line — allowing just one sack during this period. Daniels also carries an $11 million salary and only has a $2.9 million cap hit if the Steelers release him — more than $8 million in savings.
The veteran's competition, rookie Mason McCormick, is already impressing Steelers fans and coaches with his strength and grittiness in the trenches. Despite being a fourth-round pick, McCormick could usurp Daniels and earn himself a starting role.
As for Dan Moore, he allowed a team-high eight sacks last year to go with seven sacks allowed in 2022, making his starting role on the Steelers line the most redundant. Rookie first-rounder Troy Fautanu is the most likely candidate to take over for more at left tackle, though Pittsburgh could also move Broderick Jones over to the left side for his second season while inserting Fautanu at right tackle. Fautanu suffered a minor MCL sprain in the team's preseason contest against the Houston Texans — keeping him out of the starting lineup for now.
Then there is Nate Herbig, who made appeared in all 17 games a year ago while making two starts. Mason Cole's release makes Herbig the de facto starter in Pittsburgh, but he faces significant competition from rookie second-round pick Zach Frazier. The West Virginia graduate had a solid NFL debut, allowing zero pressures in 19 pass block snaps while consistently opening up holes in the running game.
Two Steelers rookie offensive linemen are on the inside track toward earning spots as day-one starters on this o-line, and the potential for Mason McCormick to be the third rookie starter. All three have impressed during training camp and preseason games so far, leaving a trio of incumbent starters with serious worries ahead of the season opener.
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