One Steelers Starting Spot Has Still Not Been Decided

Steelers News One Steelers Starting Spot Has Still Not Been Decided Chris Ward Follow | Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy during his postgame interview on Aug. 27, 2026. -- Ed Thompson / Seelers Now PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy revealed in his Monday press conference that Dylan Cook has been taking most of the reps at right tackle, but he still hasn't made a final decision on who will start between him and first-round rookie Max Iheanachor. Iheanachor missed the team's first two preseason games with an undisclosed injury — which appeared to be a neck or shoulder ailment. The time missed set him back in the battle with Cook. McCarthy said Iheneachor has been impressive but because he has missed so much time, it is tough to just throw him in the starting lineup. 'Make no mistake about it, he can play,' McCarthy said. Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Max Iheanachor during a practice on Aug. 24, 2026. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now Iheanachor made his NFL debut in the preseason finale against the Buffalo Bills. 'We wanted to get him about 20 plays tonight and then we felt that we got we got to that point, we got him an extra series, so I'm not sure what his count came up, but most important thing is he to got to play,' McCarthy said after the 28-27 loss. 'I mean, he needs to play. So just the conditioning of it, the speed of it, coming up here and playing on the road I think is awesome for a first-time lineman do that. 'The crowd was good there at the end. I thought the two-minute drill for our young guys to hear the crowd noise was a really good experience.' Iheanachor had a solid debut but he did get beat by Andre Jones for a sack. 'I saw what happened on the sack. I think it was just more on his set,' McCarthy said. 'He was trying to be too aggressive. It almost looked like he was in a three-step set versus a five-step.' Cook originally entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2022 after finishing his college career at Montana. He joined the Steelers the next season, where he has continued developing on the practice squad before being called to the active roster in 2025. Cook appeared in a career-high five games, making four starts while filling in at both tackle spots. He played 291 offensive snaps and continued to establish himself as one of Pittsburgh's top reserve offensive linemen. Alan Saunders provided reporting from Pittsburgh.