Brooke PriorESPN staff writerRead for 2 minutes
The Pittsburgh Steelers strengthened their offensive line on Saturday night, acquiring a full-time starter from across the state.
Former Philadelphia Eagles guard Isaac Seumalo signed a three-year contract with Pittsburgh, sources told ESPN.
Seumalo is the Steelers’ second offensive line to sign on as a freelancer, alongside Nate Herbig, who spent three years with the Eagles before spending a year with the New York Jets. Both Herbig and Seumalo have ties to Steelers first-year assistant general manager Andy Weidl, who spent six seasons in the Eagles’ front office, three of them as vice president of player personnel.
Seumalo was a left guard for most of his career, but switching to right guard for the 2022 season offers the Steelers flexibility on the inside of the line. His addition also creates additional competition for third-year lineman Kevin Dotson for a starting spot on left guard, or even James Daniels on right guard.
Seumalo missed significant time with injuries during the 2020 and 2021 seasons, but recovered to play all 17 regular season games for the Eagles in 2022 and was part of a unit that finished second in ESPN’s run block win rate (75%) and fifth in rushing. yards per game (147.6).
He has the foot speed to divert defenders and the body control to struggle back against power rushers and create a solid base in the pocket. His 93.6% pass rate ranked 15th among all guards this season, while his pass rate ranked 20th.
Seumalo, 29, was a 2016 third-round draft pick by the Eagles from Oregon State. He has started 60 games over seven seasons in Philadelphia, helping to form one of the better offensive lines in football on that stretch.
He is credited with helping shape the game plan on the offensive line along with positioning coach Jeff Stoutland and center Jason Kelce.
ESPN staff writers Tim McManus and Matt Bowen contributed to this report.