Dec 15, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Dylan Cook (60) defends in the third quarter against the Miami Dolphins at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Steelers Have Found Their LT of the Future

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Steelers on SI
By Jack Markowski | Last updated Dec 23, 2025 8:00 AM ET

It's not often that an offensive linemen who has almost exclusively spent his first four NFL seasons either on the practice squad or the reserve/injured list comes up and makes an immediate impact in his first handful of starts, but that's exactly what's happened for Dylan Cook with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

There was a fair amount of concern about Pittsburgh's outlook at left tackle after Broderick Jones sustained a season-ending neck injury against the Chicago Bears in Week 12, and that was before Calvin Anderson was placed on IR with a knee injury.

The Steelers received another blow at the position in Week 14 vs. the Baltimore Ravens when Andrus Peat suffered a concussion, but Cook entered the game in his place and hasn't looked back since.

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Cook's Impressive Performances

In his regular season debut against Baltimore, Cook did not allow a sack or pressure over 13 total snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.

Under the lights at Acrisure Stadium vs. the Miami Dolphins in Week 15, which marked his first career start, Cook logged 66 snaps at left tackle and went the entire night without ceding a quarterback takedown or pressure.

Cook was a standout performer for Pittsburgh yet again in its eventful 29-24 Week 16 win over the Detroit Lions that came down to the last second, keeping Aaron Rodgers out of harm's way yet again on his blindside and putting even more impressive tape out there.

The Steelers closed out the day with 481 yards of total offense, their most in a single game this season and the only time they've eclipsed the 400-yard mark.

Head coach Mike Tomlin had nothing but good things to say about Cook after the contest, noting the team's prowess in the run game with him on the field in Detroit.

"We’ve got a no-blink group," Tomlin said, per The Athletic's Mike DeFabo. "It’s not like things are ideal. I can’t say enough about Dylan Cook, for example. Man, that’s our fourth left tackle. We ran for 200-plus yards today with that guy."

Is Cook the Long-Term Answer?

Jones certainly held his own when healthy this season after moving back to left tackle, where he played in college at Georgia, from right tackle after Dan Moore Jr. left the Steelers and signed a four-year, $82 million with the Tennessee Titans in free agency.

With that being said, though, Pittsburgh will have to make a decision on the 2023 first-round pick's fifth-year option this upcoming offseason.

Perhaps it's too soon to declare that Cook will factor into the outcome in that situation, but considering his current stretch is on par or better than any Jones has had during his career thus far, it doesn't feel far-fetched either.

Cook still has to prove himself over a larger sample size, but if he continues playing at his current pace as the Steelers track towards clinching the AFC North for the first time since 2020, the team may have found the left tackle of their future.

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