There was not much to like about the way the Steelers offense performed in their 17-12 victory against the Rams last November. They scored one offensive touchdown and managed just 42 yards rushing. The only saving grace was quarterback Mason Rudolph throwing for 242 yards while not throwing an interception on a day Rams quarterback Jared Goff had three turnovers.
It was the way the Steelers won many of their games last season when starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was on injured reserve: count on the defense to make big plays and hope the play-it-safe offense could do just enough.
But there is one reason to look back on the Rams game as the Steelers prepare for the 2020 season. It was the first time the Steelers gave a hint into the long-term plans for their offensive line. With the recently retired Ramon Foster out with an injury, the Steelers didn’t use ace interior backup B.J. Finney against five-time All-Pro and two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald.
Finney was 11-2 as a starter in his four seasons with the Steelers, but the coaches wanted a more athletic option to go up against Donald, so they switched right tackle Matt Feiler to guard and inserted second-year tackle Chukwuma Okorafor at right tackle.
Offensive line coaches are loath to make two changes to address one need, but this was a special circumstance. Donald not only is known for wrecking games, but he’s famous for making offensive linemen looks silly while doing it.
Donald had four unassisted tackles and a sack for a safety in the game, but all but one of those plays came at the expense of right guard David DeCastro, who is an All-Pro in his own right. Feiler did more than hold his own in his opportunities to block Donald one-on-one.
Expect Feiler, who has started 26 games at right tackle the past two seasons, to compete with Stefen Wisniewski for the starting left guard job vacated by Foster when the Steelers start training camp this summer. Okorafor and Zach Banner are expected to compete for the vacancy at right tackle.
While Feiler proved more than solid as a tackle, the Steelers were of the belief a few years ago that his best position was guard. He’s the strongest offensive lineman on the team; he’s athletic enough to get to linebackers on the second level; and he’s adept at working with centers and tackles in passing off stunts in pass protection and on double-teams in the running game.
Feiler went one-on-one against Donald in pass protection 11 times, and all he allowed was one pressure that didn’t affect a Rudolph incomplete pass (a drop by Diontae Johnson). Whether it was coincidence or by design, Donald’s best work came against DeCastro in the second half, when he had his sack and two tackles for loss.
One adjustment Feiler is going to have to make if he moves to guard is his punch and when to throw it. As a tackle, he had to be more selective with when and how he punched against better athletes on the perimeter of the defense. On the inside there isn’t as much guesswork. Interior defensive linemen get on guards much quicker.
On two occasions against the Rams, Feiler got bull-rushed — once by Michael Brockers and another by Sebastian Joseph. Neither misstep resulted in a sack, but the pocket collapsed around Rudolph as a result. Feiler is more than capable of making the simple adjustment with repetition and familiarity at the position.
Feiler, of course, must beat out Wisniewski, who was signed as a free agent last month. If Feiler wins the job, then Wisniewski would become the top backup at guard and center, the role Finney filled for the past four years.
The Steelers also would have to get comfortable with Okorafor or Banner at right tackle. Okorafor, a third-round pick in 2018, has two career starts, and the only game he dressed for last year was the Rams game. He was inactive for every other game.
Banner has never started a game at tackle for the Steelers, but he did play 222 snaps last season as the swing tackle and extra tight end. Banner beat out Okorafor for the swing tackle job after Okorafor was slow to bounce back from offseason shoulder surgery.
However, in his only game against the Rams, Okorafor showed why the Steelers drafted him in the third round. He made a few mistakes, including allowing a third-quarter sack, but overall acquitted himself well against a strong Rams front.
Like Feiler, Okorafor also has to learn how to better utilize his punch in pass protection. On the second play of the game, Okorafor got bull-rushed by Cory Littleton and walked back into the pocket, rushing Rudolph’s throw. The reason: Littleton got his hands on Okorafor’s chest first before Okorafor could get his hands on Littleton.
This is something all Steelers offensive linemen have to improve upon in 2020. In their first season without Mike Munchak, Steelers linemen were too often caught with their hands down by their hips, they were too late to punch and allowed pressures as a result. It’s an easy fix if it’s an offseason priority for coach Shaun Sarrett.
Later in the series, Okorafor is called for holding on Donald when he failed to execute a down block and had to grab him in order to prevent Donald from making the play.
But on the same series, Okorafor flashes his potential. He has better-than-average athleticism for a tackle his size, and that is evident when he’s asked to block on the second level of the defense. On one play, he pulls and chops a Rams defensive back to the ground. A few plays later, he effectively washes defensive end Dante Fowler out of the play by rag-dolling him down the line of scrimmage on a running play. (The NFL has made Game Pass free to all during the COVID-19 outbreak, so check it out if you’d like to see how players performed last season).
When it comes to handicapping the competition it’s instructive to look back at what Munchak and general manager Kevin Colbert said about Okorafor on the day he was drafted.
“He’s got a very good upside, probably the most unique upside of this whole group,” Colbert said, referring to offensive tackles in the draft.
“He’s very strong,” said Munchak, who has since moved on to become Denver’s offensive line coach. “When you have a big man like him, it’s hard to just run around him. He’s got nice long arms, good size and has a lot of growth ahead as far as growth and strength and technique. He’s capable of doing everything we want him to do and we ask our tackles to do.”
It’s also important to remember Okorafor is just 22 years old and won’t turn 23 until August. He’s the same age of many offensive linemen that are coming out in the draft this year.
The Steelers know the upside Okorafor possesses. Now it’s up to him to prove he can handle a starting job and fulfill upon that promise.
Ray Fittipaldo: rfittipaldo@post-gazette.com and Twitter @rayfitt1.
First Published: April 7, 2020, 11:00 a.m.
