Steelers preseason goals: Rebuilding the offensive line

Mike Tomlin’s team takes the field in the 2021 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game vs. the Dallas Cowboys with plenty of work to do.

A year after there was no preseason action, the NFL has upped the regular-season slate to 17 games for each of the 32 teams. That also means every club will see their preseason slate reduced to three contests. But for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys, they will each play four summer games.

Mason Rudolph will get the start on Thursday evening in Canton, OH vs. Mike McCarthy’s club. One of the feature attractions will be watching Steelers’ first-round draft choice Najee Harris. The hope is that he can help fix the league’s worst-ranked running game in 2020.

But what really needs addressing is Pittsburgh’s offensive line.

New faces in so many places for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2021.

That unit will look dramatically different this season. Center Maurkice Pouncey retired after 11 seasons. Left tackle Alejandro Villanueva didn’t appear to be in the team’s plans and signed with the rival Baltimore Ravens. Guard David DeCastro was released and there have been hints of retirement. And versatile Matt Feiler left for the Los Angeles Chargers via free agency.

But now it’s 2021. Right tackle Chukwuma Okorafor moves to the left side. Second-year pro Kevin Dotson is the starting left guard while Trai Turner looks to revive his career on the other side. Zach Banner is expected to be the starter at right tackle. The biggest battle appears at center. The team used a third-round pick on Kendrick Green (via Alan Saunders of SteelersNow.com) and he is starting to open some eyes.

Mike Tomlin’s team has a new offensive coordinator in former quarterbacks coach Matt Canada. The Steelers have quarterback Ben Roethlisberger preparing for his 18th season. Harris has been the talk of the team for months. But if the Black and Gold can’t field a capable offensive line, it’s going to be a long year for the defending AFC North champions.