To help me better understand just how meaningful the loss of each potential offensive linemen could be, I thought I would reach out to someone with first-hand experience of battling in the trenches of the NFL. In particular, former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive linemen Trai Essex.
Trai Essex played seven seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers while starting twenty-eight games for the organization. Essex played a key role in protecting Ben Roethlisberger throughout the 2008-2009 campaign. Of course, that was the season the Steelers went on to become Super Bowl XLIII champions.