Steelers All 90: Isaac Seumalo Plays Without ‘Regard For Laws’

A year after bringing in James Daniels on a big-money deal, the Pittsburgh Steelers made another splash this offseason as they signed Isaac Seumalo to a three-year, $24 million deal.

Coming off of a season in which he helped guide the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl appearance and started every single game, Seumalo brings experience and grit to the Steelers’ offensive line room. While he is noted to be a quiet guy off of the field, Seumalo plays with an unmatched mentality.

“I think the thing that gets overlooked at offensive line is you have the ability and license to play very violently at times,” Seumalo said. “You’re allowed to go out there and hit people without regard for laws and the rules of mankind.”

Seumalo has started at multiple different positions across the offensive line during his first seven seasons in the NFL so he can virtually be a plug-and-play starter at any position. The Steelers need him to play left guard as last year’s starter Kevin Dotson played poorly over the course of the 2022 season. This also means that Seumalo has a ton of ideas to teach the younger guys and he has already started doing that.

“The O-Line is younger, but not inexperienced. They’ve played a bunch of games,” Seumalo said. “It’s been a good opportunity to help out where I can.”

As far as what Seumalo knew about the Steelers prior to joining the team, he stated that other than the obvious legacy, he knew very little about the organization but said that it has been great since arriving in Pittsburgh.

“I didn’t really know too much,” Seumalo said. “But coming to visit and meeting some of the guys, It’s been awesome.”

Seumalo will slot in as the day-one starter at left guard and is expected to be one of the better overall linemen on the team. If he can stay healthy, Seumalo has shown the potential to play at a high level. Seumalo’s success will only help the likes of his teammates Kenny Pickett and Najee Harris.

For an offense that ranked in the lower third of the league in categories such as total offense (23rd), average rushing yards per carry (25th), and average passing yards per game (24th), the addition of an experienced, veteran lineman such as Seumalo will pay dividends. The Steelers invested heavily into the Oregon State product and they hope that he can become a huge piece of the “Pickett Fence.”

73 • Isaac Seumalo, Guard, Oregon State
6-foot-4, 303 pounds, 29 years old, 8th Season

Acquired: The Steelers signed Seumalo to a three-year contract on March 18, 2023, after his deal with the Philadelphia Eagles expired.

Last Year: After two injury-rattled seasons, Seumalo started all 17 games and helped the Eagles make the Super Bowl. Seumalo played his second-most snaps in his career with all 1,135 of them coming at right guard. Seumalo enjoyed the best season of his career as he only allowed one sack all year.

Suemalo earned the highest PFF rating (75.2) of his career as he played at an above-average to elite level in 2022. For his play, Seumalo was named to the Pro Bowl as an alternate. Seumalo became an unrestricted free agent following the Eagles’ Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Philadelphia Eagles guard Isaac Seumalo (56) in action against Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Carlos Davis (73) during an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 30, 2022, in Philadelphia. The Eagles defeated the Steelers 35-13. (AP Photo/Rich Schultz)

Career: The Philadelphia Eagles drafted Seumalo with the 79th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft after an elite final season at Oregon State. As a rookie, Seumalo appeared in nine games and recorded four starts which included two at right guard, one at left guard, and one at right tackle.

In his second and third seasons, Seumalo appeared in 27 total games with 11 starts at left guard. Seumalo started the 2018 season as the starting left guard but was benched after Week 2 due to poor performances.

Prior to the 2019 season, the Eagles re-signed Seumalo to a three-year contract. Seumalo became the full-time starting left guard and started all 16 games in 2019. He played a career-high 1,162 snaps on the offensive line as he allowed five sacks and committed five penalties.

In 2020, Seumalo missed a portion of the year due to a knee injury but did start all nine contests that he appeared in at left guard. The next season, Seumalo started the first three games of the season but was injured and missed the rest of the season.

College: Coming out of high school as a consensus four-star prospect, Seumalo committed to play at Oregon State University. Seumalo won the starting center job as a true freshman and became the first true freshman to start at center for the Beavers since 1978. Seumalo started all 13 games for the Beavers in 2012.

In 2013, Seumalo started all 12 games that he played in as he posted 10 starts at center and two at right tackle. Seumalo suffered a foot injury in the Hawai’i Bowl that resulted in him missing the whole 2014 season. Pro Football Focus gave Seumalo an above-average rating of 81.0 after his sophomore year. In addition, Seumalo was named to the Pac-12 All-Conference Second Team.

Seumalo sat out the 2014 season on a redshirt as he recovered from his late-season injury suffered in 2013.

As a redshirt junior, Seumalo rebounded and started all 12 games which included nine at right guard and three at right tackle. Seumalo played 807 offensive snaps over the 12 games and did not allow a single sack. After the season, Seumalo was named Pac-12 All-Conference Honorable Mention. He earned an elite rating of 94.0 from PFF after the 2015 season.

Salary cap and future: Seumalo signed a three-year, $24 million contract with the Steelers this offseason. While his cap hit in 2023 is only $3.62 million, his cap hit will surpass $10 million in the following two seasons. In 2023, Seumalo is owed $1.3 million in base salary and $2.32 million in a prorated bonus.

Seumalo is signed with the Steelers through the end of the 2025 season when he will become an unrestricted free agent.

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