Steelers A to Z: Spencer Anderson showed versatility as rookie, specializing at guard this camp

Editor’s note: From now until the first practice of training camp at Saint Vincent College, TribLive is running through the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 90-man roster, looking at each player and assessing his outlook for the 2024 season. The breakdown will run in alphabetical order with at least two players each day between June 14 and July 25. Contract data courtesy spotrac.com.

OL SPENCER ANDERSON

Experience/age: 2nd season, 24

Contract status: $934,444 cap hit in 2024, signed through 2026

The past: Anderson made 32 starts over four college seasons at Maryland but what made him unique was that he started at each of the offensive line’s five positions. Each of his three seasons as a Terrapins’ starter were spent with Anderson making the most starts at a different position: left tackle in 2020, right tackle in 2021 and right guard in 2022. He also had experience at center, and during training camp last season Anderson at one point was seen taking reps at all five spots. He made the opening-weekend active roster and remained on that 53-man for all 18 weeks of the regular season – no small feat for a rookie seventh-round pick. Anderson appeared in eight games last season, almost exclusively on special teams – though he did make a brief appearance on offense. That was at a sixth position: tight end (extra tackle in the “jumbo” package).

2024 outlook: This spring, coaches told Anderson he would be focusing on guard. He confirmed that his primary practice duties over organized team activities and minicamp came as the second-team right guard but that he also repped on occasion at left guard. Anderson said he made sure to get in some daily QB/center exchange work, too. But it is clear that — for now — he’s specializing at guard. That was the position most during the lead-up to last year’s draft expected him to land at.

In some ways, Anderson remaining relatively stationary at one spot takes away what was his greatest asset as a rookie, his versatility. But it also can be taken as a sign that Steelers management is serious about giving him a look as a possible future starter. The only man directly above Anderson on the current depth chart — starting right guard James Daniels — is due to become an unrestricted free agent next spring. While it’s way too early to project and not nearly so simple as anointing Anderson as the “next man up” for 2025, make no mistake that he is at least being afforded a cursory opportunity to show that he can be. Then again, it is no certainty Anderson even makes the 53-man roster this season, not after the Steelers drafted three offensive linemen in the first four rounds and brought back four 2023 starters. But to borrow Mike Tomlin parlance, Anderson enters camp in the pole position for a spot as a backup O-lineman.