Editor’s note: From the end of minicamp through the day the team reports to training camp at Saint Vincent College, the Trib will be running through the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 90-man roster, assessing each player’s outlook for the 2023 season. The breakdown will go through the roster in mostly alphabetical order, (at least) two per day, from June 16-July 26. Contract data courtesy spotrac.com.
C MASON COLE
Experience: 6th NFL season
Contract status: $6.9 million cap hit in 2023, signed through 2024
2023 outlook: When the Steelers signed Mason Cole 15 months ago, it had the look of a possible depth move. Cole was teetering on earning a “journeyman” label because the Steelers were Cole’s third team in three seasons and he’d started only half of his 2021 games. At the time, observers weren’t even sure what position Cole would play, and some thought he would be a backup.
It turned out Cole was the Steelers’ starting center, literally almost from the beginning of organized team activities all the way through to the final snap of the season. He started all 17 games and made 96% of the Steelers’ offensive snaps. Even though he was hobbled by injury — twice leaving games, and often spotted in a boot or walking with a limp during the week — Cole was an ironman for the Steelers when it came to starts.
He also became a respected leader and de facto spokesman for the offensive line. Pro Football Focus graded Cole as 12th best among starting centers for the NFL’s 32 teams in 2022. None were flagged fewer times than he was (once).
After the Kendrick Green experiment was abandoned, the Steelers needed some stability in the wake of longtime center Maurkice Pouncey’s retirement. They found it in spades in Cole.
Mason Cole on the Steelers resilient game and season pic.twitter.com/RzZIwxAIJU
— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) January 2, 2023
OL DYLAN COOK
Experience: Spent his rookie 2022 season on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ practice squad
Contract status: $750,000 cap hit in 2023 if he makes the team
2023 outlook: Cook was the latest addition to an offensive line position room that was given a significant infusion of new blood over the past five months, be it in unrestricted free agency, the draft or via the futures or waivers routes. Cook came via that latter method, signing five days prior to the start of organized team activities in the wake of being released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The 6-foot-6, 305-pound Cook spent most of last season on the Bucs’ practice squad after being signed as an undrafted free agent out of Montana. A converted prolific high school and junior college quarterback, Cook would seem to have good athleticism. He might be raw — owed to his relative newness to the offensive tackle position — but comes with a reputation as a smart player.
The Steelers have enough veterans (and a first-round rookie) at tackle who are likely to take the spots on the 53-man roster, but Cook has the look of a possible intriguing developmental prospect for a team that has taken its swing at turning out such tackles before (think Alejandro Villanueva and Zach Banner).
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Chris Adamski is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Chris by email at cadamski@triblive.com or via Twitter .
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Steelers 2-a-days: C Mason Cole was the perfect fit; Is Dylan Cook a possible Villanueva type? - TribLIVE
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