Dylan Cook could end up going from the practice squad one week to starting the next, depending on certain variables. He made his NFL debut on Sunday, but only as a result of injuries to three different players. Once perceived as a diamond in the rough, he risked facing irrelevance, but could soon be very, very relevant.
Two weeks ago, LT Broderick Jones suffered an injury that landed him on IR, and it’s not clear whether he’ll return this season. Either way, he must miss at least two more games before he is even eligible. The Steelers opted for Andrus Peat to start over Calvin Anderson, the latter missing Sunday’s game anyway due to injury. Then Peat suffered a concussion in-game, forcing Cook—making his season debut on the roster—into action.
“I could definitely relax a little bit more”, Cook said Monday about what he learned in case he has to play again, via the Steelers’ website. “My sets kind of got a little wacky there a little bit. But that’s just nerves. Now going forward, I know I can just take a deep breath and [know] I have more time than I think I do when it comes to the ball being snapped. Just settle in”.
A 2022 college free agent, Dylan Cook first signed with the Steelers in May 2023. He impressed enough in training camp that he earned a spot on the 53-man roster, albeit as the ninth lineman. He never played, never even dressed I don’t believe. The following year, he began the season on IR, but the Steelers later waived him. He eventually re-signed to their practice squad.
Cook has spent the entire season on the practice squad so far this year. For Sunday’s game, they elevated him to the active roster, already down two tackles. All in all, he seemed to do well enough, now in his third year in the Steelers’ system.
But he only had to play 13 snaps, and the Steelers didn’t really move the ball on offense while Dylan Cook was in the game. That wasn’t necessarily his fault, though, and the coaches will evaluate him on his tape. The question is, what will they do based on the week’s variables? Did he show anything to move up in the pecking order?
Do both Andrus Peat and Calvin Anderson have to be unavailable next week for Cook to start? Does one or the other need to be unavailable for him to dress again? Because if Peat and Anderson both return, they have enough bodies. But do they perhaps like Cook more than Anderson now?
It’s worth noting that after Peat’s concussion, the Steelers had both Dylan Cook and Spencer Anderson warming up. I don’t know if Anderson took any tackle reps in practice last week, but he could be this week. Maybe even they opt to start him—having already started at guard—if Peat and the other Anderson can’t go.
