Steelers Were Successful In Preparing Spencer Anderson For New Role

The Pittsburgh Steelers will enter the 2024 season with some new faces on the offensive line. Zach Frazier will likely be the starting center, despite his status as a rookie. He did exceptionally well in training camp and preseason. Nate Herbig -- the man he was in competition with -- ended up getting injured, but Frazier earned the right to play every snap regardless. However, not every part of the o-line was built according to plan. Isaac Seumalo suffered a pectoral injury during practice, and he will have to miss some time early on in the season. 

Because of that injury, Spencer Anderson will start at left guard until Seumalo returns. He's a seventh-round draft pick in 2023 out of the University of Maryland. While he came out of college as a guy that could play all five positions on the line, there was only one that he had never played before.

"Here’s an interesting nugget about Spencer Anderson, the next man up for the Steelers at left guard after Isaac Seumalo injured his pectoral muscle late last week: He started 32 games at the University of Maryland and played every position except left guard," noted Ray Fittipaldo.

Ray Fittipaldo talked about Anderson's versatility and how that was seen as a major strength for him. For a guy drafted in the final round, he needed to find any kind of advantage he could just to stick with the Steelers as a backup. It doesn't matter that he has never played left guard before; when the coaches ask what he can do, you say everything. Anderson could learn to play all five offensive line positions at the NFL level, and that is why he was drafted. 

Steelers Made Sure Anderson Could Do Whatever They Needed

During summer minicamps and training camp, the Steelers have specifically worked Anderson out at guard. Not only has he specialized in that position recently, but he spent most of that time as Seumalo's backup. Because of that, he was the easy choice to start Week 1 while the veteran heals up and gets ready for another game down the road. Anderson is more than ready to take over and play every snap that he needs to.

"Anderson got quite a bit of work with the first-team offense in camp practices. Seumalo had at least two scheduled off days each week during camp. Anderson might have taken as many reps as Seumalo with the starters," said Fittipaldo.

The Steelers never hesitate to give a veteran player a day off, for better or for worse. Because of this, Anderson had plenty of chances to work with the first-team offense between Frazier and Dan Moore Jr. He had some reps with the starters during preseason as well. He has had plenty of chances to match up against guys like Cameron Heyward and Keeanu Benton during camp. If he can handle them, he should be able to handle many other  talented defensive linemen around the league. 

Of course, reps in preseason and camp are nothing compared to a live game, but it's still helpful to get plenty of snaps in with the first-team unit whenever you can. Anderson will have to be ready for anything that gets thrown at him. He already has a tough task: trying to stop Grady Jarrett from getting into the backfield in Week 1. The Steelers have all kinds of questions about the offense, and the best thing Anderson can do is to play his new position well and silence one of the concerns.

What do you think about Anderson starting in place of Seumalo for the foreseeable future, as well as his lack of experience at left guard? Do you think he received enough first-team reps to do well in his new role? Let us know in the comments.

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