Pittsburgh Steelers avoid massive injury scare

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers are preparing for their first week of regular season games and hope to have a healthy team to face the Atlanta Falcons. They received some good news as rookie offensive tackle Troy Fautanu is back to full fitness and their rookie wide receiver has returned to practice. But the team also received some major bad news as it continues to make final preparations for Week One.

According to NFL insider Adam Schefte, Steelers left guard Isaac Seumalo is expected to be out for several weeks with a pectoral injury. Schefter first broke the news about the Steelers guard via his X account. He then followed up his initial report with an update. According to his team sources, the Steelers believe Seumalo has escaped a season-ending injury. The timeline for his return is still unclear, but there is hope he can return for the 2024 season.

“Initial tests have shown that Steelers guard Isaac Seumalo did not suffer a season-ending chest injury,” he said. “The team is still evaluating how long he might be out, but as one source said, 'We dodged a bullet.'”

With Seumalo out for a period of time, the Steelers' offensive line takes another blow. They already lost veteran lineman and projected starting center Nate Herbig for the season, catapulting rookie Zach Frazier into the starting lineup.

Now, the Steelers are banking on Mason McCormick, another rookie from the team's 2024 draft class, and second-year utility lineman Spencer Anderson as the team's remaining options at the left guard position. McCormick has improved over the course of the preseason and looks like he could contribute at some point. Likewise, Anderson has impressed the team with his positional versatility, playing both tackle and guard at various times during his two years with the organization. Anderson's extra year of pro experience may give him an edge over McCormick, but both players are unfortunately a step behind Seumalo's rock-solid play.

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