The Steelers could enter 2019 with the starting five on their offensive line intact for the fourth consecutive season, something that is unheard of in the free agency era in the NFL.
Trouble is, the starting offensive line, at least as it is currently constructed, is not the same one that opened the 2018 season in Cleveland a year ago.
But because Marcus Gilbert missed so much time at right tackle -- 11 games -- in 2018, he was traded to the Cardinals in the offseason, leaving Matt Feiler, a 10-game starter there a year ago, with the starting spot.
Feiler, however, is hardly being handed the spot, as he'll be forced to hold off 2018 third-round draft pick Chuks Okorafor and 2016 fourth-round selection Jerald Hawkins for that job.
For Feiler, that's fine. He's scratched and clawed for everything he's earned thus far in his NFL career, working his way up from being an undrafted player out of Bloomsburg to the practice squad to the active roster and then the starting lineup.
If it sounds like a familiar story, it's because it is one several other Steelers offensive linemen have followed in recent years. Left guard Ramon Foster was an undrafted player, as was left tackle Alejandro Villanueva. The same goes for Chris Hubbard, who started 10 games for the Steelers in 2017 before hitting it big in free agency with the Browns.
Drafted or not, if you can play, the Steelers will give you a chance. And at no spot on the team is that more apparent than on the offensive line.
"Every coach says it, every player says it, it doesn’t matter how you get here, it’s what you do when you get here," Feiler told me. "I know that in the back of my mind. Definitely seeing Al and Ramon, seeing what they can do coming from a similar position to the one I came from, it gave me a lot of hope."
He needed it coming out of Lampeter-Strasburg, a small high school in central Pennsylvania better known for its girls basketball program than producing football players.
Feiler wasn't highly recruited. He didn't have any NCAA Division I offers. So he wound up at PSAC school Bloomsburg as a 6-foot-6, 275-pound freshman. Even then, his bio said his favorite part of preseason training was lifting weights.
And by the time he left Bloomsburg, where he was a three-year starter at guard and tackle, he had put on 50 pounds. It wasn't unneeded weight. It was pure muscle.
Teammates will tell you he is one of the strongest guys among Steelers players, if not the strongest guy. You'll get a blush from Feiler if you mention it.
"I don’t know if I am THE strongest guy on the team or not, but it’s something that’s nice to hear," Feiler told me. "I’ve been putting in a lot of work and I’m glad it’s showing up."
It certainly did in 2018. He made a spot start for Gilbert at right tackle in Tampa Bay, then basically started there the rest of the way.
But given his nature, Feiler is taking nothing for granted this season, despite the trade of Gilbert.
"It's up for grabs," Feiler said of the right tackle spot. "There’s still a lot of work to be done. I’m just looking to continue to get better and help out the team."
He knows Okorafor won't go easily.
"He’s young but he’s learning very quickly," Feiler said of Okorafor. "He’s done a good job. He’s athletic. He’s big. He’s put in a lot of work and it shows."
Hawkins, who has missed two of his three previous seasons with an injury, also adds something to the mix, as well.
The fourth-year offensive tackle has consistently been one of, if not the, last guys off the field for every OTA session as he tries to return after missing all of last season with a quad injury.
"Hawk looks like he’s getting stronger and stronger every day," Feiler said. "It’s good."
But if Feiler has things his way, none of that will matter. He wants to hold onto the job with the same aplomb with which he clamps onto a defensive lineman.
Feiler might not have the pedigree or foot speed of Okorafor or Hawkins, but he always plays quite literally to his biggest strength.
"Once I get into a defender, I can just kind of clamp him down," Feiler said, adding when asked on which things he needs to work, "I think my footwork in the run and pass game, just getting my feet on the ground and keeping them on the ground. That’s always something offensive linemen especially can work on."
LOLLEY'S VIEW
Feiler is a self-made man. He's also been a quiet contributor in the team's locker room. He's not a big talker.
This promises to be a very big situation to watch not just in Pittsburgh, but by other NFL teams.
In the five current starters, Okorafor, Hawkins, interior lineman B.J. Finney, tackle Zach Banner and seventh-round draft pick Derwin Gray, the Steelers would seem to have at least one more offensive lineman than they can keep.
Certainly, injuries could play a factor here, but if those 10 guys get through camp unscathed, the Steelers could be left with a difficult cut to make. And there's no guarantee a guy such as Gray, if released, would make it to the practice squad.
Remember, just a couple of years ago, the Steelers released Brian Mihalik to keep Feiler on the final roster and he wound up starting games for the Lions that season.
