Steelers Decide OT Competition

Cook was steady throughout training camp and appeared in all three of Pittsburgh's preseason games this year. He first logged a total of 37 snaps against the Jacksonville Jaguars on August 9, 28 of which came at left tackle, and received an overall grade of 55.8 from Pro Football Focus while allowing two pressures.

Facing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on August 16, Cook earned a fantastic 83.5 pass blocking grade after not giving up a single pressure in 49 reps, with 35 coming at left tackle and 14 at right tackle.

In the Steelers' preseason finale vs. the Carolina Panthers last Thursday night, Cook played 19 snaps at left tackle and five at right tackle while allowing a pressure.

It appeared as though Cook had a real shot at being Pittsburgh's swing tackle this season given his experience on both sides of the line. Calvin Anderson got the nod over him while working through a soft-tissue injury that's led to a prolonged absence, however, while the signing of Andrus Peat earlier this month also provided a hit to his chances of making the roster.

Cook was placed on injured reserve during roster cutdown day last year with a foot injury. He was later waived in late October, but the Steelers re-signed him to their practice squad after he went unclaimed.

The 27-year-old remained with the team for the rest of the season, though he did not appear in a game for them before agreeing to a reserve/futures deal in January.

Cook began his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent out of Montana State University in 2022. He spent nearly his entire rookie season on their practice squad and inked a reserve/futures deal with the team before being waived in May 2023.

The Steelers claimed him and placed him on their initial 53-man roster to begin the 2023 season, though he never appeared in a regular season game that year as well.

Pittsburgh now has 10 offensive linemen remaining on its roster: Zach Frazier, Ryan McCollum, Mason McCormick, Andrus Peat, Max Scharping, Isaac Seumalo, Spencer Anderson, Calvin Anderson, Troy Fautanu and Broderick Jones.