Steelers Place OT on IR

The Pittsburgh Steelers will be without a key piece on the offensive line for an extended period of time.

Aug 9, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; A Pittsburgh Steelers helmet sits on an equipment trunk during the game against the Houston Texans during the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers have placed offensive lineman Dylan Cook on the reserve/injured list to begin the season.

On Sunday, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported that Cook suffered a foot injury that would keep him off the field for multiple weeks. He is the third Steelers offensive lineman to go down since the calendar flipped to August, joining rookie first-round pick Troy Fautanu, who is working through an MCL sprain, and starting center Nate Herbig, who was moved to injured reserve last week after tearing his rotator cuff and will likely miss the remainder of the season.

The Steelers opened up a 53-man roster spot on cutdown day after transitioning Cook to IR, which will keep the 26-year-old out for at least the first four weeks of the campaign. Because his injury is not currently viewed as season-ending, however, Pittsburgh used one of their two return designations and could activate him based on the status of his recovery later in the year.

Cook opened his collegiate career as a quarterback at Montana State-Northern during the 2016 and 2017 seasons before transferring to Montana as a walk-on. He made his position change to offensive tackle after joining the Grizzlies and went on to start 23 games at right tackle for the school from 2019 through 2021.

Cook was not selected in the 2022 NFL Draft and proceeded to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was let go at the final stage of roster cuts, though he went unclaimed off waivers and stuck around on the Bucs' practice squad for a majority of the season.

Cook signed a futures contract with Tampa Bay in January 2023, but he was cut and subjected to waivers in May of that year.

Pittsburgh ultimately signed Cook and gave him a spot on its initial 53-man roster last season after he played 101 snaps in the preseason, though he never appeared in a regular season contest.

He played in the team's preseason games against the Houston Texans and Buffalo Bills this year before falling victim to his injury.

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