Steelers guard Isaac Seumalo does talking on field, in meeting room

Experience on the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line skews to the extremes.

Four-fifths of the anticipated starters for the 2025 season have spent two or fewer years in the NFL. Broderick Jones has made 27 starts but just one at left tackle, the position he will play this season. Zach Frazier has 15 starts at center, Mason McCormick 13 at right guard (14 overall on the line) and Troy Fautanu one at right tackle.

That quartet has combined for 57 starts.

Then there is Isaac Seumalo. As he enters his 10th season in the NFL, the 31-year-old left guard has started 90 career games and appeared in 111. He has 30 starts in two seasons since joining the Steelers in free agency, making him the elder statesmen in his position room.

“He’s invaluable because that’s all we really have,” Frazier said, speaking of the experience factor Seumalo possesses. “He’s the oldest guy. It’s not like we have a ton of veterans. It’s crucial for us as young players.”

Given that experience — he also has appeared in two Super Bowls and earned a ring with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017 — Seumalo is like the old E.F. Hutton commercial. When he speaks, his teammates listen.

Jones, who is getting his first extensive work playing next to Seumalo this spring, said his experience and wisdom are calming to the other members of the Steelers line.

“Always, always, always,” he said. “Even when we’re coming out of the huddle, he’s a guy who is emphasizing the snap count, the play. Everybody on the line knows the play, and everybody is on the same page. It’s a good thing.”

The center typically is the hub of communication on the offensive line. Frazier took on that responsibility last season as a rookie, but it helped that he had Seumalo positioned to his left for much of the season.

“That side of the line is going into its second year, but when you have someone who has been doing it for 10 years, it’s invaluable,” Jones said. “The center is the one we lean on the most, but if Isaac has the trust in our center, and our center has trust in Isaac to make the call, I think we will be all right.”

After spending his rookie season primarily lined up next to James Daniels and much of last season playing to the right of McCormick, Jones is getting used to taking snaps alongside Seumalo. Their only extensive work together came in 2023 when Jones started one game and played part of another at left tackle because of an injury to Dan Moore.

“Just a change of scenery,” Jones said. “We do have some game experience. It hasn’t been much, but we’ve had a connection before. It’s something we’ve got to continue to build on.”

Offensive linemen, by nature of the position, are cerebral players and among the most insightful on a football roster. Because the offense depends on the cohesion provided up front, the linemen must be masters of technique and skilled communicators.

Seumalo is no different. It’s just that he doesn’t extend such communication to reporters. He would rather run gassers than grant an interview. During minicamp last week, Seumalo declined an interview request, turning around for a brief second before fixing his gaze back on his locker.

With his 6-foot-4, 303-pound frame and long hair that he twists into a bun, Seumalo comes across as, well, intimidating.

Not true, say his offensive line mates.

“I wouldn’t say he’s intimidating,” Frazier said. “I would say he’s just not very talkative.”

Jones agreed.

“He’s a good guy to be around,” he said. “It’s just that when he’s at work, it’s work. There’s nothing wrong with that. He has a mindset, and he’s been doing it for so long, I feel like that’s how he’s wired and programmed. He handles his business, and he has fun later.”

Offensive line coach Pat Meyer is appreciative of Seumalo’s presence on the offensive line and the steadying influence he has brought to his position room. Seumalo started all 17 games in 2023, his first season with the Steelers, and he returned from a pectoral injury suffered in the preseason to play the final 13 games last season.

“He’s another coach,” Meyer said. “He’s another set of eyes, ears, and he is vocal in the room, talking in the room. He’s really been a godsend for us.”

Seumalo is one of three so-called veterans in the offensive line room, the others being backup guard Max Scharping and swing tackle Calvin Anderson. Their combined NFL experience of 11 seasons, however, is one fewer than what Seumalo provides.

Meyer likes the balance he has within his group.

“It’s great having young guys — they’re energetic, they’re healthy, they’re whatever you want to call it, spry,” he said. “Their body is not beaten up as much, but having that vet — we’ve got a couple of them — those guys are vocal and just helping.

“Whether they’re starters or backups, they help each other because the ultimate goal is to win.”