The Steelers are unveiling a brand new right side of their O-line for Week 3. Per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Pittsburgh will start first-round rookie Max Iheanachor at right tackle in Sunday’s key divisional matchup with the Bengals, while free agent addition Brock Hoffman will get the start at right guard.
Iheanachor and Hoffman replace Dylan Cook and Spencer Anderson, respectively. As a Day 1 prospect, Iheanachor was always a candidate to see immediate work in the pros, and though he did not get the nod in Weeks 1 or 2, that may have been due to injury more than anything else. The Arizona State product, a two-year starter as a collegian, sustained a neck/shoulder ailment in early August that kept him on the shelf for over two weeks of practice and two preseason games.
Earlier this month, offensive coordinator Brian Angelichio said he expected Cook and Iheanachor to continue competing for the No. 1 role during the season. While Pro Football Focus has graded Cook highly for his work thus far – PFF has assigned him a 76.4 overall score that ranks seventh among 66 qualified tackles – he has been usurped by the rookie after just two games.
Anderson’s performance, on the other hand, has not been strong, with PFF assigning him a 56.5 overall mark that places him 42nd among 68 qualified guards. Hoffman, who signed a modest one-year, $2.5MM contract after the first wave of free agency in March, is no guarantee to be an improvement, but as ESPN’s Brooke Pryor observes, Hoffman and Iheanachor worked together in practice all week in preparation for today’s lineup change.
Rapoport adds (video link) that the Steelers, who have scored just 16 points on offense through two games in 2026, are focusing on improving their offensive efficiency and giving quarterback Aaron Rodgers more time to get the ball to playmakers D.K. Metcalf and Jaylen Warren. Clearly, the club believes the new-look RG/RT combo can unlock its offense to an extent.
While third-round rookie Gennings Dunker may factor into the right guard equation at some point, he was placed on injured reserve on Saturday.
