The Pittsburgh Steelers were dealt a blow with LT Broderick Jones suffering a season-ending neck injury in Week 12 against the Chicago Bears, but the Steelers have solidified the position with the emergence of Dylan Cook. Cook replaced Andrus Peat in Week 14 against the Baltimore Ravens after Peat suffered a concussion. He’s been rock solid since, and the Steelers have taken notice. Per Gerry Dulac on Steelers KDKA Kickoff, the team believes their offensive line is better with Cook now than it was earlier this year.
“Mason McCormick is nasty, fights block to the whistle, and there isn’t a right tackle in the league who’s maybe as athletic as Troy Fautanu. And then after adding Dylan Cook, replacing a first-rounder, the Steelers actually believe their offensive line has gotten better.”
It’s no secret that Broderick Jones had his struggles. His play had been up-and-down for a while, although it seemed as if he was coming along better when he suffered his season-ending injury. But Cook’s play has been outstanding, and he’s graded out as one of the best offensive tackles in football, particularly as a pass-blocker, since he’s gotten his opportunity. PFF has Cook with the ninth-best pass-blocking grade out of qualified offensive tackles this season, and he’s going to need to focus on his pass-blocking against Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. on Monday.
What Cook has done this year makes the Steelers’ decision on whether or not to pick up Jones’ fifth-year option a little more difficult. That’s a decision they’ll have to make this offseason for 2027, and there’s a real case to be made that Cook should be the Steelers’ left tackle of the future. If the team believes the offensive line is better with Cook, as Dulac says, then he should get the first crack to start next season, leaving Jones in a backup role. It makes it much more unlikely that the team would pick up Jones’ option, but Cook is also only operating on a four-start sample size as of now.
If the team believes this is a level he can perform at throughout the course of a season, then Cook very well may be the team’s left tackle of the future. While the broader view of it is intriguing to look at, there is no doubt right now that the offensive line is playing some great football, especially since Cook entered the starting lineup, and their success as of late is a big reason why the Steelers are in the playoffs.