Steelers rookie likely to surrender starting job due to no fault of his own following critical update from Mike McCarthy
Despite the strong start to training camp for one Steelers rookie, a recent injury that will cost him his Steelers debut yet again this week is likely also going to cost him any shot at winning a starting job.
Any potential battle at right tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers likely just came to an end. Pittsburgh’s training camp competition at the position has been decided not by scheme or preference, but by an injury that continues to linger for one of the team’s most intriguing young linemen.
Maxie Iheanachor is not expected to play this Friday and would not have practiced on Monday, per head coach Mike McCarthy.
That development carries significant weight for the Steelers’ offensive line, because Iheanachor had been building real momentum before the setback.
Max Iheanachor facts.
- Didn’t play football until late in his adolescence; grew up playing soccer.
- Born in Nigeria.
- Played college football at Arizona State.
Iheanachor camp was off to a promising start
While we were in Latrobe, Iheanachor put together a great string of practices. Despite being labeled as raw and in need of technical refinement, he came out and performed. He was extremely good at footwork, swift, and somehow still the biggest offensive lineman on the field. The flashes were real.
Then came the upper body injury, specifically to the shoulder, and McCarthy said at the time it didn’t seem like anything too serious and that Iheanachor should be back out there. Yet here we are two weeks later. He missed the first preseason game, has now missed over two weeks of practice, and will miss the second preseason game. That timeline paints a picture of something more significant than originally communicated.
Dylan Cook is the Steelers’ starting right tackle
So what does this tell us? Dylan Cook is the right tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and not just for now. He should be viewed as the starter for most of the 2026 regular season.
In reality, Cook has earned it regardless of Iheanachor’s injury. What we saw from Cook down the stretch of last season was encouraging, and the clips from his one-on-one work in Latrobe reinforced the progress. He struggled a bit in preseason Week 1, but it was the first game. That’s not enough to override the body of work he’s built.
Cook has been consistent, available, and competitive. Those three traits matter along the offensive line, and they matter even more when the guy behind you can’t get on the field.
What this means for Iheanachor
The bottom line is that Iheanachor is essentially surrendering his chance to win the job, and it’s through no fault of his own. He did everything he could during the reps he got in camp. The shoulder just hasn’t cooperated, and two-plus weeks of missed time during the most critical evaluation window of the offseason is devastating for any player trying to unseat a capable incumbent.
None of this closes the door on Iheanachor long-term. He’s still young, still physically gifted, and still a developmental piece Pittsburgh can invest in. But for 2026, the starting right tackle job belongs to Dylan Cook.
