The Pittsburgh Steelers are only a couple of weeks away from playing the Atlanta Falcons to start the 2026 NFL season. One of the biggest questions remaining is who the starting right tackle will be. Will it be Dylan Cook, first-round pick Max Iheanachor, or Broderick Jones?
The Steelers were intent on finding that out Thursday night in their preseason finale. All three players took meaningful snaps in the game. Those were Iheanachor’s first snaps in a preseason game after missing the first two games.
Even with some early issues, which were to be expected, our very own Ross McCorkle saw on tape why the Steelers drafted him in the first round.
Former Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger sees the potential, too. That’s why he thinks Iheanachor should be the Week 1 starter, regardless of the growing pains.
“There’s going to be hiccups,” Roethlisberger said Friday on Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger. “There’s going to be bumps in the road. There’s going to be issues. But you want him to learn as much on the fly as possible. He needs to be in there. He needs to take his lumps, take his bumps.”
Roethlisberger went on to call it “Baptism by fire.” We all hesitate to throw quarterbacks to the wolves, but when it comes to linemen, there is only so much learning you can do off the field. Eventually, you need to line up and try to beat the tar out of the defender who is trying to do the same to you.
While a lot of eyes are on Iheanachor’s problems (the early sack and two holding penalties), there were some really good moments from him, too. The biggest one was in the run game, which isn’t terribly surprising. He led the way on fellow rookie RB Eli Heidenreich’s touchdown, moving well in space and eliminating a defender from the play.
ELI TD!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #Steelers pic.twitter.com/8ZNaZ2OkOG
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) August 28, 2026
Yes, Max Iheanachor will struggle. News flash: Every offensive lineman has bad plays. Every rookie offensive lineman has more bad plays than an established quality veteran starter. Roethlisberger believes the Steelers can cover for Iheanachor by sliding protections or using other players to help him.
If the Steelers believe that Max Iheanachor will be their long-term starter at right tackle, it’s best to get started now.
