PITTSBURGH — The Steelers have begun shifting offensive-line personnel during the first two weeks of OTAs, with tackle Troy Fautanu and lineman Mason McCormick taking reps on the left side while Dylan Cook and Spencer Anderson have worked on the right.
Fautanu, a 2024 first-round pick who spent the past two seasons at right tackle, said he does not view any spot as his natural position and has been rotating between stances as coaches evaluate options. McCormick spent most of 2024 and 2025 at right guard but also has taken left-side reps.
New coach Mike McCarthy said solidifying the left side early was a priority to help protect and mesh with right-handed quarterback Aaron Rodgers, calling the move important to setting that portion of the line.
The switch is eased by existing familiarity: Fautanu and McCormick worked beside each other on the right last season and also logged significant left-side experience in college. Anderson, who frequently served as the extra lineman in jumbo packages and filled in for Isaac Seumalo at left guard last year, said he prefers right guard.
There is, however, a learning curve in the small details. McCormick previously turned his head left to communicate with center Zach Frazier and right to address Fautanu; with the new alignment those micro adjustments must be relearned. Offensive line coach James Campen emphasized adaptability, saying the work in the early offseason helps players adjust to each other and to the system.
Fautanu noted that taking reps on the left felt rusty at first after two years in a right-hand stance, but he said repetition will correct that. His college left-tackle work came for a left-handed quarterback, so he was not regularly charged with blindside protection; he does not expect that difference to be a major obstacle as the group settles into the new looks.
