Spencer Anderson proving to Steelers he can pull off rare feat of playing all 5 OL spots

Spencer Anderson spends most of his practice time lining up at left tackle. And when he was warming up for his NFL game debut Friday evening, that’s where he was taking his sets — left tackle.

But when Anderson first made it onto the field, it wasn’t at left tackle but at right guard.

All in a day’s work for the versatile Pittsburgh Steelers rookie.

“I had been repping tackle,” Anderson said Sunday, “but (offensive line coach Pat Meyer) told me before the game, ‘Think more inside than outside coming up in this game.’

“You’ve just got to be ready on the fly. Even though I had been repping left all week, (Meyer) said, ‘Go to right.’ So I was like, ‘Cool.’ ”

But that wasn’t the half it for Anderson, a seventh-round pick, during Friday’s victory at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The man who practiced at left tackle and entered the game at right guard after two series was bumped to right tackle before finishing the game at left guard.

According to Pro Football Focus accounting, Jones on Friday played 17 snaps at left guard, 13 at right guard and seven at right tackle. By the Steelers’ next practice, he was (mostly) at left tackle — though he did rep some at left guard Sunday at Saint Vincent.

“Wherever the team needs me,” Anderson said, “that’s where I will be at.”

Spencer Anderson (who’s ⁦@MarkKaboly⁩’s favorite player) talks about his 1st (preseason) NFL game action pic.twitter.com/5HKPQrvb54

— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) August 13, 2023

The Steelers likely envision Anderson playing all over the line as his best path to be a contributor. Clearly, that is a large part of what attracted them to him when they took him out of Maryland with their final pick of April’s draft.

During college, Anderson spent a season each making his most starts at different positions.

“Versatility, the more things you can do at anything in life, probably the better off you are,” offensive coordinator Matt Canada told reporters Sunday.

“Spencer is a guy who has some versatility with what he can do, different spots, physicality and movement and those things, so that just gives him more opportunities to play. Obviously, everybody’s goal at this point as a player is to find a way to get on the roster, and I think he’s doing all he can to show his versatility and viability to be one of those guys.”

“I had no idea he could snap until I saw him taking some snaps after practice one day, and I was just like, ‘All right, dude – you can snap!’ And he was like, ‘Yeah, I can.’"https://t.co/L5BAakgIey

— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) June 4, 2023

Anderson likes to talk about how his fellow offensive linemen are almost in a state of awe when they realize he not only bounces back and forth from both sides and from guard to tackle so seamlessly — but that he also is capable at center.

“Some guys like, ‘What are you doing? What are you doing?’ ” Anderson said. “And I’m like, ‘chill, chill, I got it.’ … They don’t believe I can snap, (but) it’s right on the money every time.”

Anderson has been doing this for a while. Three of his final four college seasons he played game snaps at least three positions (per PFF). In a game against Northwestern last season, he played snaps at right guard, right tackle and left guard. During the Pinstripe Bowl the year prior, Anderson played snaps at center, right tackle and right guard.

During a November 2019 game against Nebraska, Anderson played at least one snap at four spots on the Terrapins’ O-line.

During 13 college games, Anderson played at least a snap at two positions.

“Just sharpening my tool box and doing whatever the team needs of me,” he said. “Being a team guy because (to follow) a good quote I was taught my freshman year: ‘Get out of yourself and get into the team.’ ”

Anderson admits that as much as he displays confidence in his versatility, sometimes he “has those doubtful thoughts — ‘Am I good at even one position?’ ”

He also is comfortable enough to admit that as a college freshman he scoffed at the so-called “utility” role.

“I was like, ‘I play tackle; . What do you mean, coach?’ ” Anderson said.

Safe to say he doesn’t take that tact with the likes of Mike Tomlin, Meyer or Canada.

“We’re happy with his ability to learn and comprehend,” Canada said, “because that’s not an easy challenge to do all those things.”

The Steelers’ last 2023 draft pick, Anderson (251st overall) has formed a relationship with their first pick, Broderick Jones (14th overall). They typically rep at the same position (left tackle), after all. Jones, though, has enough on his plate learning just that — and marvels at how Anderson is learning four other spots.

“Man, I know it’s tough,” Jones said. “But that’s going to take him a long way in the long run because just being a utility player like that, there’s not too many in the league, so just being able to bounce around on the line of scrimmage like that, it’s huge, it’s a big asset. It’s going to be good for him.”

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