In an effort to address the depth of their offensive line, the Pittsburgh Steelers added veteran Andrus Peat on Thursday.
A 31-year-old taken with the 13th overall pick of the 2015 draft, Peat has 126 games and 103 starts of NFL experience. Between midway through his rookie season and 2022, Peat spent eight seasons as a starter for the New Orleans Saints but in 2024 was a reserve for the Las Vegas Raiders.
Peat last season spent more time at guard but in 2023 was more of a tackle. While the majority of his pro starts have come at guard, Peat has plenty of games at both tackle spots. Tackle is also the position in which he entered the league. Throughout Peat’s career, most of his playing time has come on the left side of the line.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin described Peat as a “grizzly veteran.”
Peat was named to the Pro Bowl roster three consecutive seasons 2018-2020.
“He’s a versatile veteran who can play guard and tackle,” Tomlin said.
The Steelers moved Broderick Jones to left tackle this season. Their top backups at tackle are journeyman veteran Calvin Anderson — who has not practiced in several days because of injury — and Dylan Cook, who has never appeared in an NFL regular-season game. The top backups at guard are Spencer Anderson and Max Scharping.
Also announced as signed by the Steelers on Thursday was backup quarterback Logan Woodside. Woodside, 30, has appeared in 13 NFL games and but has not attempted a pass. The Steelers are his fifth NFL team but most notably he twice has been part of a roster that had current Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith — in 2018 when Smith was on the Tennessee Titans staff and in 2022-23 when Smith was the Atlanta Falcons head coach.
The Steelers open their preseason Saturday at the Jacksonville Jaguars. Tomlin said Thursday that starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers will not play, and rookie Will Howard will sit out because of a hand injury suffered Tuesday.
“I know (Woodside) has past experience with Arthur (so) I’m not going to the close door on (Woodside playing Saturday),” Tomlin said. “But we will see.”
Woodside’s most extensive pro experience was as the starter for the San Antonio Commanders of the Alliance of American Football in 2018. His ties with Smith’s system made him the Steelers’ best option on short notice to have an arm for the preseason opener.
“Given circumstances with Will Howard, we thought (signing Woodside) was appropriate,” Tomlin said. “He’ll be a quick study. We’ll work hard over the next 48 hours, and he will have game availability. Whether he plays remains to be seen.”
In the corresponding roster moves, the Steelers waived long snapper Tucker Addington and guard Nick Broeker. Each was signed later in the offseason. Christian Kuntz will be the Steelers’ snapper for a fifth season.
Chris Adamski is a TribLive reporter who has covered primarily the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2014 following two seasons on the Penn State football beat. A Western Pennsylvania native, he joined the Trib in 2012 after spending a decade covering Pittsburgh sports for other outlets. He can be reached at cadamski@triblive.com.
