Steelers offensive line coach James Campen knows as well as anyone that seeing Aaron Rodgers sacked four times last week wasn't part of the plan.
Through two games, the Steelers have allowed six sacks, as inconsistency has shown in pass protection. You could say the Steelers are 1-1 with one win and one loss, but for Campen, it's one win and one opportunity to improve.
"In that room, we don't lose. We learn," Campen said after practice Friday. "We're going to learn to do things better and the correct way."
The Steelers only have one offensive lineman in the same place as last season, in center Zach Frazier. Troy Fautanu and Mason McCormick have flipped from right tackle and right guard, respectively, to the left side.
Spencer Anderson and Dylan Cook were in competition for their starting jobs throughout the summer and, to an extent, into the preseason. But there's no taking solace in that when the Patriots hit Rodgers for a strip-sack that led to a 32-yard loss and then got to him again for a takeaway in the fourth quarter.
"We have to be better. There's no question about that," Campen said. "It's not the start anybody ever expects."
Campen could have two new starters in his group Sunday against the Bengals in guard Brock Hoffman and tackle Max Iheanachor, two of those newcomers who were vying for first-team roles in training camp. The 6-foot-4, 318-pound Hoffman started the final seven games at right guard for Dallas in 2024 under head coach Mike McCarthy, as the Cowboys went 4-3 in that stretch while averaging 23.3 points per game.
That included a 27-20 win against the Giants, in which defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence — now starting up front for the Bengals — did not record a sack, quarterback hit or tackle for loss. Iheanachor, meanwhile, is preparing to start. But that's no different than how he approached his first two NFL games in the regular season, so he feels "100%" ready if necessary.
"I'm just going out there and doing my job, trusting my [pass blocking] sets, my athleticism," Iheanachor said Friday.
It's not uncommon to see Hoffman and Iheanachor communicating in the locker room about something they saw in practice that day, or how to communicate with each other on a particular rep. Iheanachor acknowledged the coaching staff has tried to zero in on specific combinations on the line, be it Anderson and Cook or Hoffman and Iheanachor.
Campen is the maestro to make it all sing on Sundays, along with assistant offensive line coach Jahri Evans. It's been a bit of a bumpy start, but this week brings a clean slate. And there's still plenty of time to learn while winning, or win while learning in Iheanachor's case.
"He's been making the necessary steps to put himself in position, and the other guys have, too," Campen said. "In reality, they all have to be ready to move on a second's notice. Those decisions get made by the coordinators and head coaches and general managers. We coach them up. And we're not just doing the best we can — we have to be better."
