It doesn’t feel like recent attempts to tinker with the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive line were done with Dylan Cook’s best interest in mind.
That doesn’t mean he’s against them though.
“I played a lot of right tackle in my day,” Cook said with a grin Wednesday.
That’s good. Because he may be playing a lot more of it soon.
After five surprisingly effective regular-season games at left tackle in 2025, the Steelers are now flipping Cook over to the right side. Correspondingly, Troy Fautanu is going to left tackle from the right tackle spot, along with right guard Mason McCormick.
McCormick will fill the void created by left guard Isaac Seumalo, who departed in free agency for Arizona. That means Spencer Anderson, new acquisition Brock Hoffman and Iowa rookie Gennings Dunker will probably battle it out for the right guard spot.
Only center Zach Frazier seems destined to hold down his slot from last year.
“I played (right tackle) all through college. I didn’t play any left in college,” Cook said. “I would consider (right tackle) my natural position. I played so much left the last couple of years that I feel comfortable at both. But I played a lot of right tackle.”
If Cook is happy and benefits from this move, that’s great. Hopefully, he gets even better than he immediately showed he could be in the first five games of his NFL career. He comes off as a really sharp, genuine, quality person.
And he’s a great story. The transition he’s made from NAIA quarterback and long snapper to 27-year-old, first-time NFL starting offensive lineman is a unique and commendable tale of perseverance and dedication.
Cook is the kind of guy every football fan should applaud.
But this move isn’t being made for him. Let’s not kid ourselves.
Fautanu, a former first-round pick, is going back to his college position as well as he moves to left tackle. And the Steelers just drafted another first-rounder, Max Iheanachor, who only started playing football in junior college, and he is a natural right tackle.
Plus, there’s no reason to believe Broderick Jones is going to get back in the starting lineup after his neck injury, by displacing Fautanu on the left side. Certainly not after Fautanu’s solid performance last year. So that means — if healthy — Jones could also be a threat to Cook on the right side along with Iheanachor.
So, while Cook is going back home to his most natural position, he’s walking into a more complicated depth chart battle than he would’ve been facing if Fautanu was allowed to just stay on the right side.
“Whoever plays on Sunday, we’ll all be rooting for him,” Cook said. “I haven’t had the luxury of picking a side yet. My whole career, even in practice, it’s a little bit here, a little bit there. I feel good going both ways.”
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On Tuesday, offensive coordinator Brian Angelichio said the goal was “to train them all to have the versatility to play right or left throughout the season.” In other words, these could be just experimental moves in May.
However, based on what head coach Mike McCarthy said Wednesday, there may be a longer-term agenda afoot. Such as putting Fautanu and McCormick on the blind side of 42-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
“Looking at the dynamics of the players, the talent, the personalities,” McCarthy said. “I think with a right-handed quarterback, those guys — their gifts, athletically, the way they’re wired, very smart players, that’s a very smart offensive line. … I just really wanted to get that left side set. Those guys were excited about it too. That made that very easy for me.”
Whether or not it was easy for Cook didn’t seem to be part of the calculus. What was better for Fautanu, McCormick, maybe Iheanachor, and definitely Rodgers, were clearly higher priorities in the decision-making process.
“Whatever helps the team win,” Cook said. “It’s good competition. Iron sharpens iron. It’s a good way to make each other better.”
Well, the right side of the Steelers’ offensive line was pretty good last year. As a result, messing with the alignment comes with some risk.
But if Cook can hold down the right side until Iheanachor is ready to take over, or elevate his own play as a full-time starter in 2026, it’d go a long way toward mitigating the second-guessing of the decision.