The Pittsburgh Steelers have been spending a majority of their time focusing on the NFL Combine as February comes to a close. Head Coach Mike McCarthy and his staff have been meeting with several potential selections ahead of April's 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh. That doesn't mean that the brass doesn't have other assessments and roster decisions that need to be made before free agency begins in mid-March.
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Calvin Anderson practices for the Steelers during the 2025 season.
With that in mind, the Steelers are reportedly making their first roster decision of the young offseason. According to The Athletic's Mike DeFabo, the team is releasing offensive tackle Calvin Anderson. The lineman had been with the Steelers since the 2024 season and signed a two-year extension during the 2025 offseason.
The Steelers are planning to release OT Calvin Anderson, per source. They’ll save $2M of his $2.415 cap hit in 2026.
— Mike DeFabo (@MikeDeFabo) February 28, 2026
As DeFabo mentioned in his X post, the roster move will save the Steelers $2 million against the 2026, cap giving the team around $44 million in cap space, according to Spotrac. Anderson only played 22 offensive snaps for the Steelers in 2025 and was limited with an injury that caused him to miss multiple games. He also spent time on Injured Reserve (IR) toward the end the season. Anderson has had a history of injuries affecting his ability to play in recent years.
Anderson's injury came after Broderick Jones was lost for the season against the Chicago Bears with a scary neck injury. With Anderson and Jones both out, the Steelers turned to veteran Andrus Peat, but he was hurt early against the Baltimore Ravens during a Week 13 contest. Dylan Cook would retain the starting left tackle job the rest of the season and has potentially given himself a shot to be the Steelers' opening day starter in 2026.
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Steelers offensive tackle Broderick Jones lines up during a game wearing his color rush jersey.
During a recent press conference, Steelers General Manager Omar Khan mentioned that there were still a lot of unknowns regarding Jones and his injured neck. At one point, Khan made it seem like Jones might not even be able to play in the upcoming season. That makes the decision to release Anderson at this point a bit odd considering the minor cap savings.
“Obviously, he had a significant injury and we’re monitoring how he progresses,” Khan said Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine. “I know he’s working hard. It’s early in the process. That’s certainly something that we’re monitoring.”
The release of Anderson leaves the Steelers thin at the offensive tackle spot, especially considering that Peat is a free agent, and swing tackle Spender Anderson is the favorite to become the starting left guard with Isaac Seumalo set to be a free agent as well.
Steelers' Offensive Tackle Depth Will Need Addressed
The talk amongst Steelers fans and NFL analysts has focused on the team's need for multiple wide receivers, but tackle remains a big question mark. It's unlikely the organization will draft a tackle on Day 1 of the NFL Draft, but with four picks expected on Day 2, the Steelers could certainly address the spot then.
However, as things sit at the end of February, it seems more likely that the team would dip into the free agency pool for a veteran tackle to compete for a roster spot or allow Cook to have the starting spot if Jones isn't going to be healthy.
One name to keep an eye on is veteran Cam Robinson, who is currently set to be a free agent after playing for the Cleveland Browns in 2025, and the Minnesota Vikings and Houston Texans prior to that. He's started 26 games over the past three seasons and has experience stepping in from a backup role to a starting one.
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