Steelers Starting Offensive Lineman Suffers Injury, Expected to Miss a Month

The Pittsburgh Steelers will be without their starting offensive lineman, Isaac Seumalo, for the start of the season.

More news: Bills Sign Veteran AFC East Quarterback to Bolster Depth

According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, Seumalo is expected to miss the first four weeks with a pectoral injury.

Seumalo left practice on Wednesday due to the injury, and after undergoing tests to determine the severity of the injury, it was revealed that he would miss the start of the season. However, it was also revealed that it wasn’t a season-ending issue.

In 2023, his first year with the Steelers, Seumalo played 1,038 offensive snaps, committing only one penalty, allowing zero sacks, and receiving a 71.9 overall grade, according to PFF.

With Seumalo out of the picture to start the season, the Steelers will likely turn to either Spencer Anderson or Mason McCormick to take over the guard position. Seumalo is entering his second season with the Steelers after he signed a three-year, $24 million contract last offseason.

Anderson appeared in eight games as a rookie last season. McCormick has had a successful training camp and preseason, and is doing all he can to be named the starter in place of Seumalo.

In the meantime, Anderson or McCormick will be tasked with protecting their new starting quarterback, Russell Wilson. Head coach Mike Tomlin named Wilson the Steelers’ starting quarterback to open the season.

“He’s got a legitimate deep ball, not only in terms of arm strength, but in terms of accuracy,” Tomlin said per Steelers.com. “We’ve got some guys that can get down the field in many ways. So, we’re excited about that.”

Wilson said that he is excited to have been named the starting quarterback.

Read more: Russell Wilson Speaks Out Following Steelers’ Decision to Make Him QB1 Over Justin Fields

“I’m super excited to be here, obviously,” Wilson said. “I came here to help us win. That’s the focus. And I think the best part is how hard we’ve all worked every day from all the way from OTAs to Latrobe. And obviously, we’ve got a great season ahead of us, and we’re excited about it.”

Seumalo is a former third-round pick in the 2016 NFL draft. The Philadelphia Eagles selected him with the No. 79 overall pick out of Oregon State University. He spent the first seven years of his career with the Eagles and helped them win their first Super Bowl in franchise history over the New England Patriots.

The veteran guard has played in 98 games in his NFL career with 77 starts.

Injuries have not been kind to the Steelers offensive line this summer. Nate Herbig suffered a season-ending shoulder injury during Pittsburgh’s final training camp practice. Herbig had been battling with rookie Zach Frazier for the starting center spot. Rookie first-round pick Troy Fautanu missed Pittsburgh’s last two preseason games with a knee injury, and starting tackle Broderick Jones has been playing through an elbow injury.