Last season, the Pittsburgh Steelers added center Mason Cole in free agency as an upgrade to Kendrick Green. Cole started all 17 games and was definitely more consistent than Green.
But Pro Football Focus didn’t seem as impressed when they ranked the 32 best centers in the NFL. For them, Cole checked in at No. 22 and laid out his struggles.
Cole struggled in Arizona in his first three seasons in the league but was pretty solid in his first season with the Steelers last year. His 67.1 PFF grade ranked 12th in the league among centers, though his 63.8 PFF pass-blocking grade was tied for 24th, so there is still a fair amount of improvement to be made.
It’s assumed Cole will be the starter again in 2023 but Pittsburgh did sign swing lineman Nate Herbig in free agency and Green has been working hard to get back into the fold. The Steelers have completely rebuilt the left side of their offensive line with Isaac Seumalo at guard and Broderick Jones at tackle so regardless of who is at center, this group should be better. Personally, we want to see Cole starting as he showed steady improvement as the season went on and some natural leadership along the line.
