Everybody in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ projected starting lineup on offense who has more than two years of starting experience is either a free agent signing or Diontae Johnson. Chukwuma Okorafor and Mason Rudolph are the longest-tenured players on that side of the ball, the latter entering his third season as a starter at right tackle, the former competing for his first starting job at quarterback.
Neither of them could be described as conventional leaders, with Rudolph’s lack of starting opportunities hindering his ability to lead others. And with so many key players gone from recent years—Ben Roethlisberger, Maurkice Pouncey, Ramon Foster, Vance McDonald, JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Conner—the team is in search mode for individuals to step up and stake a claim to the group.