It appears Steelers rookie offensive tackle Max Iheanachor will begin his career as a backup. With the Steelers set to open their season against the Falcons on Sunday, “all signs” are pointing to Dylan Cook starting over Iheanachor at right tackle, according to Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Troy Fautanu will start on the left side.
Head coach Mike McCarthy has not officially named Cook the starter, but it sounds as if he is leaning that way.
“Dylan has been taking most of the reps at right tackle,” McCarthy said (via Fittipaldo). “Ideally, you want to have your first five guys together as much as possible. We’re trying to work Max in there.”
Iheanachor, the 21st overall pick in the draft, became the third tackle to join the Steelers in the first round since 2023. They took Broderick Jones 14th overall that year and then spent the 20th selection on Fautanu in 2024.
Jones did not live up to expectations in Pittsburgh, which traded him and a 2027 fourth-rounder to Dallas for a ’27 third- and sixth-rounder in late August. Fautanu made 17 starts and played every offensive snap for the Steelers at right tackle last season, but he is now back at the position he played at Washington.
Iheanachor, a two-year right tackle starter at Arizona State, could have won the Steelers’ job this summer if not for a neck/shoulder injury. The 6-foot-6, 321-pounder suffered it in early August, keeping him out for two-plus weeks and shelving him for two preseason games. Cook, on the other hand, played all three games on Pittsburgh’s exhibition schedule.
Unlike Iheanachor and Fautanu, Cook was not a premium draft pick. In fact, he went undrafted in 2022. After spending his rookie year on the Buccaneers’ practice squad, Cook joined the Steelers on waivers in May 2023. It took until last year for Cook to get into a regular-season game. Jones’ late-season neck injury opened the door for Cook to make six appearances and five starts at left tackle, including in the team’s wild-card round loss to the Texans.
The 28-year-old Cook now has a chance to hold down the starting gig the other side, but he will have Iheanachor breathing down his neck. Offensive coordinator Brian Angelichio expects the two to continue competing for the No. 1 role during the season, saying (via Fittipaldo): “That is a position we’ll continue to push both guys and see where it goes. We’re trying to get Max going.”