The Pittsburgh Steelers have too many guards on paper. James Daniels and Kevin Dotson are the incumbent starters. Nate Herbig and Isaac Seumalo are free-agent imports who played for the Philadelphia Eagles at one time. The four players are competing for two spots at the right and left guard.
Brian Baldinger, a former offensive lineman, works for the NFL Network and is one of their highly respected analysts for offensive linemen. Baldinger joined the PM Team W/Poni & Mueller on Monday to discuss the Steelers’ offensive line and the apparent glut at the guard position. Andrew Fillipponi asked the NFL Network analyst about the biggest signing, Seumalo.
“They are getting a really smart player,” Baldinger gushed. “He can play any position. I have seen him play four including tight end. He is a naturally wide, powerful Polynesian guy. Very quiet, doesn’t say two words. I don’t know if Lane Johnson cried last night when Isaac got signed but I know he is going to miss him. Just a quality guy, complete pro, upgrades any offensive line he goes to.”
Baldinger played in 143 games as a pro and started 47 for 3 NFL teams. He played for and worked as an NFL analyst for the Philadelphia Eagles before joining the NFL Network and still has good relationships with the team. He is a huge fan of Seumalo, but another former Eagle, Herbig prompted him to use his connections to help him land on his feet last season with the New York Jets.
“Nate Herbig is also very, very smart and tough,” Baldinger continued. "I’ve known Nate since he’s got into this league. I made some phone calls when the Eagles wanted to cut his contract. I just know these guys who work out with him, I see him all the time. This is a guy who kind of made himself into a football player, he’s always been smart. I think he is an ascending player.”
The Steelers’ recipe for success in free agency is finding young players who are ascending and based on the rave reviews by Baldinger, Andy Weidl and Omar Khan may have struck gold. He encapsulated his feeling about what he thought the two guards would mean for Kenny Pickett and Pittsburgh this season.
“These are two guys you can count on to lead the charge,” Baldinger said. “What it does for a young quarterback like Kenny Pickett is he is going to be able to step up into the pocket. Most of these guys can avoid quick edge pressure, what they can’t avoid is pressure up the middle. If you can slow that burst up the middle down with guys who can really anchor up, it gives your quarterback a lot of confidence to step up and make the throw.”
Fillipponi asked the former NFL veteran straight out, with all the players competing who plays and how they get the best linemen on the field. Baldinger responded with a bombshell.
“They are going to fight it out. There is competition there,” Baldinger concluded. “I’m sure that Nate Herbig wasn’t thrilled when they signed Isaac last night. If Daniels comes back and he is in shape and plays better than he did last year, maybe he’ll win.”
“So, if I am hearing you correctly,” Fillippoini interjected. “You might start camp with Herbig at left guard, Cole at the center and Seumalo at right guard? Would Daniels be a swing player?”
“Yeah, but it’s a good draft for centers,” Baldinger responded. "I don’t know (about Daniels). He was a good center at Iowa. I haven’t been in love with him the last couple of years and what he’s done. I thought he was a better player coming out of Iowa, than he is to me right now.”
Steelers 2022 Free Agent Imports Draw Immense Praise In Solidifying The Offensive Line
The perception was last season that Daniels was the best offensive lineman for the Steelers but after hearing Baldinger’s responses, he is not only down on the former Chicago Bears guard but also the other big signing on the offensive line, Mason Cole. He was completely endorsing the idea of drafting one of the better centers that are available in the 2023 draft.
The Steelers offensive line played every snap together last season but could potentially replace four of five starting offensive linemen according to the NFL Network’s offensive line guru. That could free up a significant amount of cap space if they said goodbye to Daniels or Cole, but it would cast the first two signings of Khan's regime in a different light. Khan might not be as sharp a judge of talent as many have given him credit for being with the imports of two NFC North players on the offensive line. It could also mean that he is a shrewd enough judge of talent and is listening to Weidl about who is available and worth spending precious resources to get.
Either option means that the Steelers’ general manager is not stubborn and willing to move on quickly when he misses an assessment. This a trait that has been lacking in Pittsburgh for over a decade and is an exciting indicator that the team is serious about returning to contention sooner rather than later.
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