The Pittsburgh Steelers 2023 NFL season has come to a close. Because the Steelers are among the 31 teams who did not finish fulfilling their ultimate goal, they are in the process of wrapping up their season and moving forward into 2024.

Since the Steelers conduct exit interviews with all their players, and the fact I have done these articles in the past, we thought we would do the same here at Steel Curtain Network. By outlining two players each day, we will be able to look at their season in retrospect as well as looking toward the future. Since Coach Tomlin has previously stated he starts his interviews with rookies and those heading into free agency, we will attempt to do the same to some degree. To start, we will pair the most recent draftees with another player at the same position (if possible) as we work through this process to eventually cover the entire Steelers roster.

Next up are offensive linemen Spencer Anderson and Dylan Cook.

Spencer Anderson

Position: Offensive Line
Years with the Steelers: 1
Years in the NFL: 1
Contract Status: Signed through 2026
Contract Details: $934,446 salary cap hit for 2024. Would cost the Steelers $58,338 in dead money if released and save $876,108.
Games played in 2023: 8
Games started in 2023: None
Snaps (regular season): 2 (offense), 26 (special teams)
PFF score: 60.0 (DNQ for ranking); 62.1 for special teams
Notable stats: None

Notes: With the Steelers having three players getting starts at offensive tackle and Nate Herbig as the main reserve on the interior offensive line, it allowed seventh-round draft pick Spencer Anderson time to develop in his rookie season while still getting a helmet for every game. Anderson was not called into action as he only played two offensive snaps all season where he was used as the jumbo tight end. Getting some snaps on special teams, Anderson is a pretty large mystery for Steelers fans going into 2024 simply because we couldn’t see him in action. But the Steelers likely have an idea of what they have in Anderson and if he can be in the mix again in 2024 as a reserve lineman.

Dylan Cook

Position: Offensive Tackle
Years with the Steelers: 1
Years in the NFL: 1
Contract Status: Exclusive Rights Free Agent
Contract Details: Contract expiring with no dead money
Games played in 2023: None
Games started in 2023: None
Snaps (regular season): None
PFF score: None
Notable stats: None.

Notes: After spending a season on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers practice squad, the Pittsburgh Steelers kept Dylan Cook as their ninth offensive lineman all season on the 53-man roster. But outside of two games where the Steelers were dealing with injuries on the line, Cook was inactive all season and he never saw a snap. Much like Spencer Anderson, it’s hard to gauge where Cook is and what he can bring to the Steelers next year. But as an exclusive rights free agent, it would be foolish for the Steelers not to exercise the option to bring Cook back at the league minimum next year and see if he can once again make the squad.

Make sure you check back each day for another set of exit interviews. If you have missed any of the previous articles, they are listed here:

Broderick Jones & Chuks Okorafor
Joey Porter Jr. & Levi Wallace
Keeanu Benton & Montravius Adams
Darnell Washington & Rodney Williams
Nick Herbig & Markus Golden
Cory Trice Jr. & James Pierre