The Steelers offensive line has looked rough this preseason. There were at times flashes of improvement, but it’s very uncertain. I thought it would be fun to take a look at the bottom three teams in the league who may be willing to move on from a guy. It’s not likely the Steelers make a huge splash move but they have been known to make some last minute trades.
Houston Texans
The Texans have been a terrible franchise the last few years. Ever since the departure of O’brien and Deshaun Watsons allegations they have been on a downward spiral. I believe they will be better than a lot of people think but how good does that look? Could they be willing to move on from a guy on the line? They have been known to make some bone head trades. ex; Hopkins was traded to the Cardinals and the Texans were not able to get a first rounder. At the time he was one of the top 3 in the league and was worth a first rounder. Look at what the Cardinals just paid to get an inconsistent Hollywood Brown. I digress…. Tytus Howard who is going into his fourth year would be a decent option likely for the cheap. The Texans line as a group was pretty bad. How much is that because the whole team is bad, coaching changes and lack of play makers to mask deficiencies.
Howard fits the Steelers mould, he can play both tackle spots and guard. He stepped in at LT last year and looked the most comfortable. If the wheels do fall off with Dan Moore Jr or Okorafor it might be worth Omar Kahn making a call.
New York Jets
I was going to put the Seattle Seahawks here. The issue is they are not a great trade partner. They have 2 young tackles they just drafted and likely won’t let go of. In addition they lost Duane Brown to free agency and LG Damien Lewis went down with a major injury. Next up on the list the terrible Jets. My Target is Connor McGovern. He had a first round draft grade back in 2019 and fell to the third round to the Cowboys. With the Cowboys having a strong group he had limited chances to play. When injuries struck he had his ups and downs. Some performances looked great and then the next he looked as if he did not know what was going on. He joined the Jets and is projected to be a starter. He is a traditional LG, with high pedigree. Again not a proven guy but is young with a lot of upside. It can’t be worse than Kendrick Green, and with Kevin Dotson having injury issues the Steelers need to add depth.
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars are a sleeper team I believe will be better than people expect. Lawrence has looked great and the D is stout. This ranking may look a lot different in a couple months. Tyler Shatley is my target on the line. He has been on the Jaguars his entire career coming into the league in 2014. He has primarily been a back up in the interior behind Brandon Linder who just recently retired. The reason I can see him being a trade target is the Jaguars rookie Luke Fortner who can also play center and guard. The Jaguars drafted multiple linemen this year and Shatley could be the odd man out. He is a serviceable vet who can get the job done who has had the misfortune of being behind a guaranteed starter and now a major youth movement in Jacksonville. As we get closer to the start of the season positions will be locked in and guys could be trade targets/looking for a new home.
As always thank you for reading! You can always find great Steelers content here on the Gridiron Heroics.
