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Matt Feiler Stuck in Limbo Entering 2020

The Pittsburgh Steelers have options with their offensive line, but they leave Matt Feiler as a moving piece to the puzzle.

Entering the 2020 season, we can accurately predict who four of the five starting offensive linemen will be. We know what position three of them will be playing. Unfortunately for Matt Feiler, he’s the one lineman who enters the season as a huge question mark. 

The team needs to figure out their starter at left guard and right tackle, and Feiler happens to play both. There’s an argument to be made for either side.

The previous assumption was that Feiler would be moving into left guard. After Ramon Foster retired, the Steelers needed a replacement. 

At the time, Feiler was the only option on the roster. BJ Finney moved onto Seattle. Feiler filled in at left guard for a game last year and performed quite well. But since then, the team has added some options. 

Stefen Wisniewski was a great free agency signing who can play all three interior positions on the line. Kevin Dotson seemed to be a quality pickup in the fourth round, a bruiser who fits right into Pittsburgh’s scheme. With the current roster constriction, Matt Feiler is no longer the only option at left guard. 

Depending on how training camp and preseason go, Feiler’s services might still be needed at right tackle. Zach Banner and Chukwuma Okorafor will likely be battling for the right tackle spot. If one of them stands out and performs well, then there’s no controversy. The winner of that position battle starts at right tackle and Feiler starts at left guard. 

Problem solved.

But there’s no guarantee that either Banner or Okorafor will perform well enough to win the starting spot. If both guys struggle to establish themselves as starting-caliber, then Matt Feiler might remain at right tackle. This is especially a concern with our current global situation, as training camp and/or preseason could be cut short. If that’s the case, the right tackle position battle will have less time to be sorted out. 

The shortened offseason could have an impact on the left guard position, too. Both Wisniewski and Dotson have never played a snap in Pittsburgh. While he is loaded with potential, Dotson probably won’t be ready to come in right away and start at left guard. 

He was a right guard in college and will probably need sufficient time to make the transition. And it’s no secret how important chemistry is for offensive line play. Having talent will only take a team so far if there’s no chemistry among the offensive linemen. 

With zero combined snaps between Wisniewski and Dotson on the team, there will definitely be chemistry concerns. Less training camp or preseason games would make it even harder for them to build chemistry with the rest of the linemen. 

So, there are several ways this could play out, and Matt Feiler’s versatility is very much appreciated in this situation. Wherever he plays, there is confidence that he will perform well and not have any major letdowns. He was solid (good, actually) at right tackle last season, and was solid in his one game at left guard, too. 

If Banner or Okorafor can’t win the starting right tackle job, Feiler stays there. If Wisniewski or Dotson aren’t ready to be week one starters, Feiler moves inside. There are a lot of question marks that will only be answered in training camp and preseason.

Current prediction: Matt Feiler kicks into left guard, and Chukwuma Okorafor wins the starting right tackle job. In 2021, Okorafor replaces Alejandro Villanueva at left tackle, Feiler moves back to right tackle, and Kevin Dotson starts at left guard.