Through two weeks, the Pittsburgh Steelers had one of the NFL's worst offenses, with the right side of the offensive line playing a major role in those struggles.
Ahead of Sunday's game, Pittsburgh elected to make changes to that side, including inserting first-round pick Max Iheanachor as the team's starting right tackle. And the rookie came to play and responded with exactly the type of performance Pittsburgh hoped to see when it invested a first-round pick in him.
Max Iheanachor gets his first chance to prove the Steelers right
The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Iheanachor in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Under Omar Khan and Andy Weidl, Pittsburgh has tried to establish its identity through high-pedigree draft picks on the offensive line, and a tackle spot was opening up.
2023 first-round pick Broderick Jones hadn't developed due to position changes and injuries and was heading into the final year of his rookie deal. Knowing it wanted to go in a new direction, Pittsburgh opted for the Arizona State product, Iheanachor.
Pittsburgh traded Jones before the start of the season.
But Iheanachor was raw as a prospect. He only started playing football in 2021 when he enrolled in junior college at East Los Angeles College. And while he progressed quickly as a college player, Pittsburgh knew it wanted to take its time before starting him.
Pittsburgh, like many franchises, also wanted to give veterans every opportunity to start. Spencer Anderson and Dylan Cook have been with the franchise since 2023 and have played key backup roles as subs, spot starters, and eligible offensive linemen. 2026 was their first real chance to be Day 1 starters.
So both players took first-team reps at right guard and right tackle, respectively, in the offseason. And while they aren't standout players, they didn't do anything to lose their jobs. That was enough for both players to earn starting jobs in Week 1.
But Anderson had a rough start to the season, giving up ground in both the running and passing games. A change was necessary. While the major focus was moving from Anderson to Brock Hoffman, head coach Mike McCarthy also took the opportunity to insert Iheanachor at right tackle.
Max Iheanachor makes the most of his first NFL start
Iheanachor's performance in his debut was exactly what you would hope for as a fan of the Steelers or the NFL Draft process. The strengths Iheanachor showed as a prospect translated immediately in Week 3, while his areas for improvement didn't hurt Pittsburgh in any significant way.
In 36 true pass sets, I charted just two pressures allowed by Iheanahor. Both were on first-down pass plays that fell incomplete. So even his two "lost" reps didn't really hurt the Steelers.
On all of the other reps, we saw Iheanachor display his "beautiful sets" Aaron Rodgers talked about in his media availability last week. Iheanachor was quick out of his stance and displayed excellent balance. He got his hands up quickly and kept defenders off his body. And he maintained his balance by moving his feet through each rep.
Iheanachor had a high floor as a prospect because he is so clean as a pass protector. What he does with his sets is very replicable and allows his natural athleticism to show.
The two times he gave up a pressure were due to very minor details.
On one play, he stopped moving his feet and tried to lean to make up for the space, causing him to duck his head and lose balance.
On the second pressure, he was a little slow out of his stance against Cashius Howell, probably the fastest edge rusher for the Bengals.
In the run game, Iheanachor was fine. He didn't hurt the team, but he also wasn't the reason Pittsburgh had their highest rushing total of the season.
Out of 20 true run plays (not kneel-downs or a Rodgers scramble), only five were behind Iheanachor. Those runs produced a 60 percent success rate but gained only 12 total yards.
Despite his athleticism, Iheanachor was always more of a seal-off run blocker than a true road grader. He doesn't generate much forward leg drive or push people off their spots. But at minimum, Iheanachor can hold his ground in this aspect of the game, which he displayed in Week 3.
The Steelers may have found their long-term answer at right tackle
It's only Iheanachor's first NFL start, and just the third game of the 2026 season, but Pittsburgh now has a small taste of what it wanted to see from its first-round pick. Iheanachor's ability in pass protection is the exact baseline a team is looking for in a franchise tackle taken in the first round, and he at least showed he can do it at the NFL level.
The next step for Iheanachor is to do it week after week. Coming up, Pittsburgh and Iheanachor will face off against edge rushers Jared Verse, Laiatu Latu, Yaya Diaby, Rueben Bain, and Chase Young. Now that Iheanachor has tape out as a Steeler, teams will be able to scout ahead to see what he can and cannot do at this point in his career. Pittsburgh will be watching closely to see how Iheanachor responds.
Any progress Iheanachor shows as a run blocker would make Pittsburgh feel even better about its first-round investment and could point to a higher ceiling than initially expected.
For now, keeping the quarterback clean and the offense moving is exactly what Pittsburgh needs from its rookie right tackle. Week 3 showed Iheanachor is capable of doing both.
Add us as a preferred source on Google