The Steelers are off to a hot, 3-0 start this year, but that hasn’t come without its speedbumps. The team has missed the play of guard Isaac Seumalo as he works his way back from an August pectoral injury. Unfortunately, they’ll have to wait at least another week to see him back on the field as the Steelers announced today that Seamalo has officially been designated as out for the team’s trip to Indianapolis. 
In his first year with the Steelers last season, Seumalo graded out as the team’s top offensive lineman, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), shifting back to left guard after a year in Philadelphia at right guard. Seumalo may have been facing a position change upon his second year with the team, but as their best returning lineman, his absence was going to be crucial, regardless.
The other returning guard on the line this year was James Daniels, who started all but two games in his second year with the team last year. While Daniels was a consistent starter, he did little to impress in 2023. This thought, and an early offseason depth chart, led to speculation that South Dakota State fourth-round rookie Mason McCormick may be pushing for a starting job, assuming Seumalo was back. With McCormick only playing left guard in college, there was speculation that Seumalo could swing back over to right guard and push Daniels to the bench.
With Seumalo absent through Pittsburgh’s first three contests, though, Daniels has remained a starter and has, so far, thrived. Daniels is not only the team’s top offensive lineman through three weeks, according to PFF, he’s the team’s top-graded offensive player, period. In fact, he grades out as the top guard in the NFL and the second-best offensive lineman in the league.
McCormick, on the other hand, has not secured the starting position it was predicted he would. Instead, Spencer Anderson has been starting across from Daniels at left guard. Unfortunately, Anderson hasn’t seen the same success as Daniels, ranking as the second-worst offensive player on the team and the 61st-ranked guard in the NFL. It seems that Seumalo will retake his starting gig whenever he can return, but if he’s out for much longer, it might be worth it to take a look at the rookie, McCormick, in a starting role.
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