The Steelers offensive line was rebuilt for Sunday's game against the Broncos after the unit was hit with a rash of injuries to Zach Banner, Stefen Wisniewski and David DeCastro.
Sunday's game didn't definitively answer all questions about the depth, because the Steelers offense was a bit of a mixed bag against Denver. But given the fact that two of the Steelers' five starters were right tackle Chuks Okorafor, making his second career start at tackle, and Kevin Dotson, making his first career start at right guard, there were positives.
First, the not-so-positives.
The offensive line struggled to run block during the game, and the Steelers running game never got going. They rushed for 109 yards, but 59 of them came on one run late. And that run was sprung because the Broncos were selling out to try and make a big play to get the ball back. If you take out that 59-yard run, the Steelers ran 22 times for only 50 yards, not even 3 yards per carry.
Obviously not having guard David DeCastro, who is an excellent run blocker, contributed to that, but he was healthy last year and the Steelers run game struggled. I do believe, though, that once DeCastro is fully back and Okorafor gets more starts under his belt, the Steelers run game will improve.
The important thing Sunday, though, was that the offensive line protected Ben Roethlisberger. The unit only gave up one sack, and Denver is a team that has a feisty pass rush. The offensive line did an excellent job of keeping the Broncos off Roethlisberger, and that is the primary goal.
Roethlisberger had all kinds of time to throw the ball, and that generally means he is going to find someone and make a play down the field. The Steelers passing game could become dominant if the offensive line can continue to protect Roethlisberger like it did Sunday.
Mike Tomlin was positive when talking about his offensive line's performance Sunday but knows it needs work.
"We played well enough to win," he said, which is not exactly a ringing endorsement but isn't necessarily negative.
Dotson is the player who probably at least earned some measure of respect from his coaches with his performance. Prior to the game, Tomlin and Randy Fichtner both were not sold that he was ready to step in and handle a starting job at this point in his career. He is a rookie with talent, but he is also a rookie who didn't have the benefit of a normal offseason because of all the COVID-19 restrictions and canceled workouts.
His performance, though, showed he isn't that far away from being ready to contribute on an every down basis if he is asked. And the same goes for Oklrafor, who didn't give up a sack despite facing a tough outside rush. Both of those younger players showed they aren't out of place, and both figure to only get better and better.
Those positives bode well for the future, but it also means the Steelers are in better shape this season than they originally thought.
