Steelers release key backup offensive tackle

On Sunday, news came out that backup offensive tackle Dylan Cook could miss several weeks with a foot injury. This is in addition to the knee injury suffered by rookie Troy Fautanu. With the start of the season in question for both guys, we assumed offensive tackle Devery Hamilton would be kept on the 53-man roster.

However, when the Steelers announced their first round of cuts, Hamilton made the list.

This leaves the Steelers woefully thin at offensive tackle to start the season. If Cook starts the year on IR and Fautanu isn’t healthy for Week One, Pittsburgh has no backup on the team.

What does this mean? Most likely, General Manager Omar Khan is going to hit up free agency once roster cuts are final for a castoff or two from another NFL team.

Pittsburgh’s offensive tackles have struggled in preseason and Fautanu can’t get healthy fast enough for this unit.