Steelers offensive lineman injured and expected to be out for a month

The Pittsburgh Steelers will have to do without their offensive lineman Isaac Seumalo for the start of the season.

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According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, Seumalo is expected to miss the first four weeks due to a chest injury.

Seumalo had to leave training on Wednesday due to his injury. After examinations to determine the severity of the injury, it was announced that he would miss the start of the season. However, it was also announced that this did not mean the end of the season.

In 2023, his first year with the Steelers, Seumalo played 1,038 offensive snaps, committed only one penalty, allowed zero sacks and received an overall grade of 71.9, according to PFF.

With Seumalo out of the running to start the season, the Steelers will likely use either Spencer Anderson or Mason McCormick at guard. Seumalo is entering his second season with the Steelers after signing a three-year, $24 million contract last offseason.

Anderson started eight games as a rookie last season. McCormick had a successful training camp and preseason and is doing everything he can to be named the starter in place of Seumalo.

In the meantime, Anderson or McCormick will be tasked with protecting their new starting quarterback, Russell Wilson. Head coach Mike Tomlin named Wilson the Steelers' starting quarterback for the season opener.

“He's got a good long ball, not just in terms of his arm strength, but also his accuracy,” Tomlin said, according to Steelers.com. “We have a couple of guys that can get down the field in a lot of ways. That's something we're excited about.”

Wilson said he was very happy to be named the starting quarterback.

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“I'm obviously thrilled to be here,” Wilson said. “I came here to help us win. That's my focus. And I think the best part is how hard we all worked every day, from OTAs to Latrobe. And obviously we have a great season ahead of us and we're looking forward to it.”

Seumalo is a former third-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. The Philadelphia Eagles selected him with the No. 79 overall pick out of Oregon State University. He spent the first seven years of his career with the Eagles, helping them to the first Super Bowl in franchise history against the New England Patriots.

The experienced guard has played 98 games in his NFL career and started 77 times.

The Steelers' offensive line has been plagued by injuries this summer. Nate Herbig suffered a season-ending shoulder injury during Pittsburgh's final training camp. Herbig had been battling with rookie Zach Frazier for the starting center spot. Rookie Troy Fautanu, a first-round draft pick, missed Pittsburgh's final two preseason games with a knee injury, and starting tackle Broderick Jones played despite an elbow injury.