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The Pittsburgh Steelers announced signing center Ryan McCollum to a 1-year contract Friday.
The Pittsburgh Steelers made another move to address their offensive line depth Friday. The team is bringing back veteran center Ryan McCollum.
The 28-year-old center has played the past two seasons with the Steelers. He made just a few appearances on the field during 2025. The prior season, he started two games.
The center began his Steelers tenure on the team’s practice squad in 2022.
“McCollum spent the 2025 season on the Steelers 53-man roster, appearing in all 17 games, after he signed back with the team in the 2025 offseason,” wrote Steelers.com’s Teresa Varley.
“In 2024 he appeared in 17 games, starting two when center Zach Frazier was injured.
“McCollum spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons on the Steelers practice squad.”
His NFL Draft profile and Pro Football Reference page both list McCollum at 6-foot-5 and 300 pounds.
Steelers Re-Sign Ryan McCollum
Entering the 2026 offseason, McCollum was set to be a restricted free agent. But the Steelers didn’t tender him a contract, which made him an unrestricted free agent.
Despite that move, the center is coming back to Pittsburgh. Steelers Depot’s Alex Kozora explained on social media that re-acquiring McCollum in this fashion saved the team money.
“Backup center behind Zach Frazier. Barely had to play last year but 2 good starts in 2024,” wrote Kozora in response to the team announcing the center’s 1-year deal.
“RFA team didn’t tender and brought back much cheaper. No issue with this.”
McCollum made two starts for an injured Zach Frazier in the middle of the 2024 campaign. Last season, Frazier and right guard Mason McCormick didn’t miss many snaps the entire season, so McCollum didn’t have much of a chance to play.
According to Pro Football Focus, McCollum lined up for three snaps at center and four at left guard during the 2025 campaign. At left guard, McCollum briefly replaced Isaac Seumalo.
Before re-signing McCollum, Frazier was the only center the Steelers had on their offseason roster.
Steelers Addressing Offensive Line Depth in 2026 Offseason
Four of Pittsburgh’s five offensive line starters from last season are set to return in 2026. But the team entered the offseason lacking depth at multiple line spots.
With McCollum, the Steelers are adding an interior offensive lineman. During the first week of free agency, the team also brought back tackle Jack Driscoll from its 2025 roster.
Driscoll didn’t play for the Steelers last season. But he ended the campaign on the team’s practice squad, and then agreed to return on a 1-year deal on March 11.
Still, there’s more work for the Steelers to do up front. The team has yet to address its open left guard role. Seumalo signed with the Arizona Cardinals in NFL free agency.
General manager Omar Khan could add a guard in the middle rounds of the draft. The Steelers have 11 draft picks overall, including several extras from rounds 3-5.
But it might also be prudent for Khan to sign a veteran guard. Seumalo was, by far, the most experienced lineman in the Steelers starting lineup last season.
McCollum began his career as an undrafted free agent for the Houston Texans. He made his NFL debut with the Detroit Lions during 2021.
It took three years, but after two seasons on Pittsburgh’s practice squad, McCollum returned to regular season NFL game action in 2024.
In his NFL career, McCollum has dressed for 47 contests.
Dave Holcomb is a sports reporter covering the NFL and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions. Originally from Pittsburgh, Holcomb has covered college and professional sports for outlets including FanSided, Rotowire and Yardbarker. More about Dave Holcomb
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