Isaac Seumalo leaves the Philadelphia Eagles to sign a three-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to a report from NFL insider Jordan Schultz.
The Steelers notably employ former Eagles vice president of player personnel Andy Weidl as their assistant general manager.
Originally a third-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, Seumalo had a bright career in Philly. He got off to a slow start; he was benched in early 2017 for struggling. But he eventually got a starting role back and proved to be a very good starting guard with the versatility to play multiple positions. Seumalo recorded 60 starts in 81 regular season games played.
Given the demand for quality offensive linemen, it was a bit odd that Seumalo stayed on the market for so long. Pro Football Focus rated him the 10th best guard in the NFL last year. Perhaps teams were concerned about how the 29-year-old missed 21 combined games in the two seasons leading up to 2022.
The Eagles’ loss of Seumalo hardly comes as a surprise; the feeling was that he would be offered more than the team could realistically afford. He also became more expendable for Philly when Jason Kelce announced he would be returning to center.
On that note, Cam Jurgens – the heir to the throne in the middle – starts with the right guard moving forward. He lacks any kind of extensive gaming experience at that position. But the Eagles did claim that he trained at that position in practice. And he played so well in the center last pre-season that there is reason to be optimistic about his prospects. Still, there is some projection involved.