Pittsburgh Steelers OL Mason McCormick has a chance to start 14 games this year if everything goes according to plan. Well, if everything goes according to Plan D. Plan A was Isaac Seumalo and James Daniels, while Plan B was Spencer Anderson. Plan C would have McCormick passing on Anderson as the primary backup, but with James Daniels out for the year, they’ll move on to Plan D.
So much for Mason McCormick being a luxury draft pick. The Steelers drafted him for free agency in 2025, and Daniels and Nate Herbig are both set to become unrestricted free agents. They discussed drafting McCormick through that lens, even though they had already drafted a lineman in the first two rounds.
Well, he’s now the third rookie lineman to start, but there are only two left. C. Zach Frazier started in the season opener, and T. Troy Fautanu appeared in Week 2. Unfortunately, he suffered a potentially season-ending injury after only appearing in one game. With the addition of Daniels, McCormick has a chance to take over.
The Steelers began preparing for the future by resting Isaac Seumalo frequently in training camp. That allowed both Spencer Anderson and Mason McCormick to get plenty of quality first-team reps during that time. Initially, Anderson was selected to replace the injured Seumalo, but the plan changed after two games.
By Week 3, the Steelers began rotating McCormick with Anderson, and he started in Week 4. The plan was to rotate Anderson last week, but they were forced to pivot when Daniels suffered a season-ending injury on the opening drive.
Despite their best efforts, the Steelers had bad luck with the health of their offensive line. They have already lost their two starting pitchers this season in Daniels and Fautanu. Nate Herbig, who was in contention to start at center, is also out this year. Reserve player Dylan Cook is still working his way back into action, and Seumalo is expected to return in four weeks.
Given the Steelers’ misfortunes, it’s almost a wonder Mason McCormick didn’t need to play more. But now he has an opportunity to solidify his spot as a starter. If he can prove he can handle a decent guard job for the rest of this season, that could be his move forward. That is, unless they somehow have a change of heart and decide to re-sign Daniels. Or if Daniels’ price tag takes a big hit and his market value plummets to an affordable level.
But one thing is clear: Mason McCormick has become more than just a luxury item. Perhaps Spencer Anderson would work well as the starter at right guard. However, we are currently previewing a potential long-term solution for a single starting job. The Steelers’ entire right side, from center to tackle, could be a player in the 2024 draft class for several years.
