All Steelers

Former Steelers OT Making Position Change

Former Pittsburgh Steelers starter Chukwuma Okorafor will play a different role for the New England Patriots.

Stephen Thompson

Oct 30, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Chukwuma
Oct 30, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Chukwuma / Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

PITTSBURGH -- Former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Chukwuma Okorafor will play a different role for his new team than the one he played while wearing black and gold.

As Okorafor transitions from the Steelers to the Patriots, he will make a position change, moving from the right to the left side. New England director of scouting and de facto general manager Eliot Wolf said this week that Okorafor would be their starting left tackle if the season started today.

Okorafor has played all but a couple of snaps during his professional career but the vast majority of the plays he was on the field for in college at Western Michigan were spent at left tackle, according to Patriots beat writer Taylor Kyles. New England could never seem to find a reliable starting tackle last season and are hoping they got one in the former Steeler.

Okorafor was cut early in the offseason by the Steelers and got a jump on pursuing his free agent options. He wound up signing with the Patriots on a one-year contract worth $4 million at base value and could climb to as high as $8.25 million by the time the season ends.

Make sure you bookmark All Steelers for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

Subscribe to the All Steelers YouTube Channel

Published
Stephen Thompson
STEPHEN THOMPSON

Stephen Thompson graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications and political science from Pitt in April 2022 after spending four years as a sports writer and editor at The Pitt News, the University of Pittsburgh's independent, student-run newspaper. He primarily worked the Pitt men's basketball beat, and filled in on coverage of football, volleyball, softball, gymnastics and lacrosse, in addition to other sports as needed. His work at The Pitt News has won awards from the Pennsylvania News Media Association and Associated College Press. During the spring and summer of 2021, Stephen interned for Pittsburgh Sports Now, covering baseball in western Pennsylvania. Hailing from Washington D.C., family ties have cultivated a love of Boston's professional teams and Pitt athletics, and a fascination with sports in general.