Despite participating in three practices during the week’s preparation, albeit in a limited capacity, Isaac Seumalo will miss another 2024 game due to injury. The fearless offensive lineman for the Pittsburgh Steelers hasn’t played in a single 2024 regular season game, and it will be another week, at least, until he returns.
Steelers Without Seumalo Again
Seumalo suffered a pectoral injury ahead of Pittsburgh’s Week 1 game against the Atlanta Falcons and hasn’t returned to practice until this week. There were times throughout the preparation for the Steelers’ Week 4 road contest against the Indianapolis Colts when Seumalo looked like he had a chance to make his 2024 debut. Three limited practices resulted in Seumalo being listed as doubtful, with the official report from the Steelers coming out on Saturday.
Pittsburgh Confident In Depth
With Seumalo missing his fourth consecutive game of the 2024 season, Spencer Anderson will again fill the guard spot in the veteran’s stead. Mason McCormick, Pittsburgh’s rookie offensive lineman, was called upon to fill in for Anderson here and there during Pittsburgh’s Week 3 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. Depending on the approach offensive coordinator Arthur Smith wants to take against the Colts’ bottom-of-the-barrel defense, McCormick could have a role along with Anderson.
Running Game Still On Track
Considering that Indianapolis has allowed the second-most rushing yards in the NFL through three weeks (537 rushing yards), Seumalo’s absence may not be noticed nearly as much as it could be. The Dallas Cowboys are the only team to allow more rushing yards to opposing offenses (583 rushing yards), and the Steelers face them in Week 5, so Seumalo technically could have an extra week to recover if necessary. Until the Super Bowl-winning offensive guard returns to the Steelers’ lineup, depth in the trenches has served Pittsburgh well early in 2024.
Jaylen Warren will also miss the road game against the Colts in Week 4, but the tandem of Najee Harris and Cordarrelle Patterson should ensure the running game doesn’t miss a beat. There is also Aaron Shampklin being called up from Pittsburgh’s practice squad to fill Warren’s spot temporarily, so the backfield will have a variety of styles to choose from. A leaky Colts’ rushing defense and an offense that prides itself on pounding the rock could result in a big day on the ground for the Steelers, even with Seumalo on the sidelines.
Final Thoughts
There is no replacement for the experience and veteran leadership that Seumalo brings to the offensive line, and the Steelers know better than to try and do so. Instead, Pittsburgh’s general manager, Omar Khan, and the assistant general manager, Andy Weidl, spent the 2024 offseason bringing in depth to minimize the impact of injuries when they inevitably occurred.
There are already several examples of the next man up working very well for the Steelers. Anderson and McCormick stepping up with Seumalo out, 2024 second-round pick Zach Frazier starting with Nate Herbig out for the season, and Troy Fautanu’s season-ending knee injury opening the door for Broderick Jones to redeem his poor play earlier in the year are all examples of that depth. The Steelers are already out to a quick 3-0 start. If the injuries remain contained by the depth players available, this could be a legitimately dangerous team as the roster continues to get healthier.
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