The Pittsburgh Steelers already had issues along their offensive line thanks to lackluster play, but those issues are about to get worse after the season-ending injury to right guard James Daniels.
According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Daniels suffered a torn Achilles during the Week 4 loss to the Indianapolis Colts and is out for the season. He is the second starter on the offensive line to suffer a major injury, along with Troy Fautanu.
Daniels was an elite run-blocker through four games, with the veteran posting a 92.9 grade in that area before his injury, according to Pro Football Focus. His loss is terrible news for an offense already struggling to run the football. He wasn't an elite pass protector, but was more than serviceable in that area.
The Steelers are now facing a situation in which they may not have either of their starting guards in Week 5 against the Dallas Cowboys. Isaac Seumalo has missed the first four games of the 2024 season due to injury, and while he was able to return to practice last week, his status for Sunday remains up in the air.
That means the Steelers may have to roll with the combination of Mason McCormick and Spencer Anderson at the guard spots once again.
McCormick replaced Anderson as the starter at left guard in Week 4, and the plan was reportedly to rotate the two before Anderson had to replace the injured Daniels. That didn't exactly show a ton of confidence in McCormick.
Neither player was great shakes in the run game, and certainly nowhere near Daniels. McCormick posted a 56.0 run-blocking grade in his starting debut, per PFF, and Anderson came in slightly higher with a 63.5.
In pass protection, McCormick surrendered one pressure but no sacks, giving him a 67.8 pass-blocking grade, so there's a positive there. Anderson gave up one sack and finished with a 61.1. Not great, but not terrible, either. Regardless, neither player is going to play at the level Daniels can.
If Seumalo does return this week, the start at right guard will be between Anderson and McCormick. Chances are it'll be the latter after he was inserted into the starting lineup in Week 4 and outplayed Anderson.
And, if it plays out that way, it'll be interesting to see if Seumalo is moved to the right side in the interest of keeping things consistent for McCormick.
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