The Pittsburgh Steelers could still have a few position battles heading into training camp. While most jobs are pretty set in stone, there’s room for a potential surprise depending on how training camp ends up.
Below are three players who could unexpectedly find themselves in the starting lineup.
GENNINGS DUNKER
Dunker might be the biggest long shot in the group here. If he does start, it would likely be at right guard, and he’s primarily worked as the backup left guard. He’s also competing against Brock Hoffman and Spencer Anderson, two veterans who have been steady when called upon. Mike McCarthy is also very familiar with Hoffman from his time in Dallas.
But Anderson hasn’t started much in his NFL career. Hoffman has never started more than seven games in a season. There isn’t a large sample size of them starting, and if Dunker impresses, there’s a chance he could earn the nod. For that to happen, he’d likely need to get in more work on the right side during training camp.
As a third-round pick, there’s no real rush to start Dunker. But he’s a player I could see coming a bit out of left field and potentially earning a job.
YAHYA BLACK
I debated putting Black on this list because at this point, I don’t even know how much of a surprise it would be. The coaching staff has praised his ability and potential at nose tackle, but to me, the chances of Black starting Week 1 are still very up in the air.
We’ll find out at training camp just how committed the staff is to moving Keeanu Benton off nose tackle. Even then, Sebastian Joseph-Day has the capability to play the position. The team could turn to his experience over Black, who struggled at times last year when lined up at nose tackle.
But there’s enough smoke that the staff likes Black, and he did have some positive flashes last season. Even if he starts, he might not take the full load of snaps at nose tackle. There’s a scenario in which he shows enough to play and try to prove Domato Peko right that he can be one of the best nose tackles in the league.
NICK HERBIG
I don’t think there’s much of a chance that the Steelers use Alex Highsmith or especially T.J. Watt as their third outside linebacker. But it’s a new coaching staff, and Herbig just got PAID this offseason. The chances are slim, but they aren’t zero that Herbig could potentially start over Highsmith.
Regardless, Herbig should see a bump in playing time this year, and it could come right off the bat as a starter. Highsmith would still get plenty of run as the third outside linebacker, too. It would take a lot for Herbig to supplant Highsmith as a starter here, and there hasn’t been any particular smoke around it. But it can’t be totally ruled out.