How serious is Isaac Seumalo’s latest injury?
Veteran OG Isaac Seumalo suffered another injury during the Steelers’ victory over the Dolphins Monday, this time a triceps injury. Seumalo already missed one game earlier this season due to a pectoral injury. He also missed time in other games as well, surely playing through some ailments.
Seumalo did play most of the game, logging 53 out of 66 snaps. It’s worth noting that by the time he exited the game, the Steelers had already built a healthy lead. After he initially exited the game, the team listed him as doubtful and soon ruled him out. However, it’s fair to wonder how much the state of the game influenced that decision.
When Isaac Seumalo missed a game earlier this season, the Steelers primarily played Spencer Anderson there. However, they continued to use Anderson as their tackle-eligible, inserting Andrus Peat into the mix. Peat missed the Dolphins game due to a concussion but will hopefully be available next week. For this game, they used Ryan McCollum at guard when Anderson kicked outside.
Because of Anderson’s extracurricular role, an injury to a guard is particularly complicated for the Steelers. Anderson is their reserve guard because he is the best, but he is also very valuable to them in their jumbo package. In other words, the Steelers really don’t want to be without Isaac Seumalo for numerous reasons.
Another one of those reasons is the fact that they have Dylan Cook at left tackle. While not a rookie by any means, Cook just made his NFL debut last week and his first start last night. Andrus Peat started the previous game with Broderick Jones on the Reserve/Injured list. We don’t know whether Jones might return this season or not, but he has to miss at least one more game. And Seumalo was very valuable to have alongside Cook in that role—or to anybody playing left tackle.
While he hasn’t had any major injuries here, Seumalo does have a history of them. He has had some stretches of time missed due to one injury or another, missing five games in total since the start of the 2024 season. If he has to miss more time, the Steelers are confident in Spencer Anderson, but there is a domino effect.
After another disappointing season and months of retooling, the Steelers are set to try it all again in 2025. Though they limped into the playoffs, they once again embarrassed themselves therein.
Just like last year, the biggest question hanging over the Steelers is the quarterback question. They settled in on Aaron Rodgers, but we still have a lot to learn about him. The 2025 NFL Draft class could play a big role, but veteran additions like Jalen Ramsey will be paramount.
Now we are in the regular season. From Rodgers to George Pickens to Minkah Fitzpatrick and Ramsey, we’ve seen the Steelers make some big changes. Now it’s about evaluating the roster in place and figuring out how it all works out.
