Steelers Make Telling Decision After Drafting Offensive Lineman in Round 1

The Pittsburgh Steelers appear to have made a telling decision on the offensive line.

Pittsburgh received flak during the NFL draft for allowing the Philadelphia Eagles to jump ahead of the team and draft wide receiver Makai Lemon out of USC. Just a pick later, though, the Steelers drafted who appears to be the team’s starting right tackle with the No. 21 pick.

Offensive tackle Max Iheanachor told reporters on Saturday afternoon that the Steelers told him he’ll be playing right tackle. While any combination of offensive lineman is certainly possible, the most likely outcome here is that former right tackle Troy Fautanu moves over to left tackle and former first-round pick and 2025 starting left tackle Broderick Jones is out of the job.

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Jones, who turns 25 next month, suffered a season-ending neck injury in a Week 12 loss to the Chicago Bears and had offseason surgery. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Jones had a setback in his recovery this offseason, though the Steelers maintain he remains on target in his recovery.

When asked if Jones’ injury led the team to selecting Iheanachor, general manager Omar Khan said, “Sure, that’s a little bit of a concern.”

“You guys all hear me talk about versatility, too, and we got guys on the offensive line that can play different positions in the offensive line. And as I mentioned, we have options,” he added.

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This story was originally published May 9, 2026 at 1:13 PM.