Steelers Backup Dominates in First Career Start

Ten days ago, most Pittsburgh Steelers fans couldn’t tell you who Dylan Cook was. Now, he’s the talk of the town after a great first start in Pittsburgh’s 28-15 defeat of the Miami Dolphins. Cook came into the season as Pittsburgh’s fourth-string left tackle. However, a combination of injuries and poor play has led to Cook getting his chance. He more than capitalized on that opportunity. After bouncing back and forth from the practice squad, Cook started his first game on Monday Night Football.

On a frigid night where Pittsburgh’s offense started slowly, Cook proved to be steady the entire game. He was a force in the run game and protected Aaron Rodgers exceptionally well. As the game wore on, the Steelers wore out Miami’s defense, and Cook was a crucial part of that.

Thrown into the Fire

Dylan Cook’s first NFL action came a week ago against the Ravens when backup tackle Andrus Peat went down. In 13 pass-protecting snaps last week, Cook didn’t allow a sack, pressure, or hit, and that was primarily with him being left one-on-one. It’s one thing not to allow any pressure for a half against one of the worst pass-rushing teams in football. It’s another thing entirely to be tasked with doing that against Bradley Chubb for an entire game. And yet, Dylan Cook was asked to take on that challenge and met the moment in spades.

He was left on an island against Miami’s best pass rusher for almost the entire game, and it resulted in one of the best games a Steelers left tackle has played in years. Cook registered an astoundingly high 86.3 grade on PFF’s initial grading system. On 30 pass blocking snaps, he once again kept Aaron Rodgers clean, not allowing a sack, hit, or pressure all game. On a night where Pittsburgh’s defense was short-handed, the offense did its part in dominating time of possession. This is where Cook’s impact on the run game was felt. He was fundamentally solid and wasn’t blown back off the line of scrimmage. The Steelers wore the Dolphins down with 136 rushing yards, and Cook’s piece of the puzzle was instrumental in their success.

What Lies Ahead

Dylan Cook has an eventful next two weeks ahead of him as Pittsburgh’s new starting left tackle. In Week 16, he faces the Detroit Lions. He likely won’t be blocking Aidan Hutchinson for much of the game, but Al-Quadin Muhammad has proven to be a good football player in his own right. He’ll certainly be a challenge for Cook. However, in Week 17, Cook faces the biggest test for any offensive lineman in the league, and that’s Myles Garrett. It is hard to imagine that Pittsburgh will leave Dylan Cook on an island too much against the NFL’s best defensive player, who’s also chasing history. Garrett is one sack away from the all-time sack record for a single season, and Cook will be part of the solution to stop him. Steelers fans have already gotten to know Dylan Cook over the last two weeks, but it’ll be the next two weeks that tell them what he’s made of.