Gruden Puzzled by Steelers' Constant Offensive Line Shuffling
The short version
- Jon Gruden questioned the Steelers' constant offensive line changes ahead of Week 3
- Only Zach Frazier has remained at his 2025 position along the line
- Pittsburgh allowed four sacks and seven QB hits in a 20-3 Week 2 loss to New England
- Aaron Rodgers has faced consistent pressure behind the reshuffled unit
- The Steelers host Cincinnati in Week 3 after heavy draft investment in the line
The former head coach questioned why Pittsburgh keeps moving linemen to new spots while Aaron Rodgers absorbs pressure and the run game stalls.
Jon Gruden, the longtime NFL head coach, says he cannot make sense of how the Pittsburgh Steelers have handled their offensive front this year. Speaking ahead of the team's Week 3 game against the Cincinnati Bengals, he pointed to the sheer volume of personnel movement along the line as a likely cause of the group's poor play.
Gruden said the shuffling has been unlike anything he has encountered in his career. Players are lining up at spots far from where they were a season ago, and he argued that the resulting inconsistency has contributed directly to the team's difficulties on offense. His central question was simple: why keep rearranging the line at all?
Only one Pittsburgh starter, center Zach Frazier, has stayed at the position he played last season. Troy Fautanu shifted from right tackle to the left side, Mason McCormick went from right guard to left guard, and Dylan Cook moved from left tackle to right tackle. Spencer Anderson, previously used as a swing tackle, took over as the starting right guard.
Those changes were meant to assemble an improved five-man combination, but the group has yet to gel. Pittsburgh's problems showed up clearly in a Week 2 defeat to the New England Patriots, 20-3, in which the offense surrendered four sacks and seven hits on quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers, who joined the Steelers this season, has faced regular pressure playing behind the unsettled unit.
The ground attack has provided little relief. According to the report, Patriots coach Mike Vrabel relied on six-man pass rushes that generated confusion among the blockers, and Pittsburgh never found answers as Rodgers absorbed hard contact. The communication breakdowns reflected a group still learning to function together.
The organization had reason to expect the line to develop into a strength. Pittsburgh has committed significant draft resources to the position group, including using a first-round selection on Fautanu, yet the unit arrived at Week 3 with unresolved issues rather than established roles.
If the front continues to underperform, scrutiny is expected to fall on the decision to change so many starting spots in one offseason. A matchup with division rival Cincinnati now stands as the next measuring stick for a line running short on time to find cohesion.
The Bengals visit the Steelers on Sunday, September 27 at 1:00 PM EDT at Acrisure Stadium, with the game airing on CBS.
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