Steelers All 90: Spencer Anderson Feels at Home in Run-First Game Plan
Spencer Anderson had a wild draft night that led to him becoming a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers. He initially thought that he was going to be a Kansas City Chief but after hanging up on Andy Reid, Anderson landed in Pittsburgh. After that crazy night, Anderson made sure to make the Steelers roster after training camp and he did just that.
In fact, Anderson stayed on the team’s active roster for all 17 regular season games and the team’s postseason loss to the Bills. While he was a mainstay at the eighth offensive lineman spot, it was due to his versatility along the offensive line. In college, Anderson played games at tackle, guard and center which the Steelers valued heavily a year ago.
Now, this season Coach Tomlin asked the former seventh-round pick to focus solely on one part of the offensive line and his game which is the interior, mainly the guard position, and his pass blocking. All of these things are what Anderson spent the offseason training to improve.
“I mainly worked at center and guard [this offseason,]” Anderson told reporters. “I’ve been told to focus on guard this year as well. I obviously still snap when the quarterbacks need an exchange but as far as live reps we haven’t taken any yet in OTAs but I am doing whatever is asked of me.”
The benefit and advantage that Anderson has coming into 2024 is that he is already familiar with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s offensive game plan. Anderson was coached by the Falcons coaching staff at the 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl prior to being drafted by the Steelers.
“Given that I was with this offense during the Shrine Bowl coming out as a draftee, and I know this is a run-heavy offense, I am kind of familiar with it from the Shrine Bowl,” Anderson said. “I am definitely honing in on the pass blocking techniques. Obviously, I know we are a run the ball type first of team and I feel like I am more of a run blocker as it is.”
While Anderson is only entering his second professional season, he is already helping guide the first-year offensive lineman, mainly first-round pick Troy Fautanu. He said that in OTAs, the team had him at right guard and Fautanu was right next to him the whole time at right tackle which led to the connection being formed.
“That’s all OTAs have been, he has been next to me at right tackle,” Anderson said. “He kind of just [says] ‘Hey, we good right here, we good right here?’ and I just kind of give him tid-bits here and there. I am trying to give him everything that I know but obviously he is still getting everything right, trying to learn as he goes.”
Since the Steelers have eliminated the chance for him to play tackle, the competition for a roster spot is greater for him than it was last year. With the two starting guard spots solidified with starters already, and Zach Frazier and Nate Herbig battling for first-team center, only another two guys are likely to make the final cut. With the Steelers investing a mid-round pick on guard Mason McCormick, he is likely to be the seventh guy which leaves one more open spot.
Due to his professional experience, his experience with Smith’s game plan and his versatility, Anderson should have the edge over other guys such as Anderson Hardy, Ryan McCollum and Joey Fisher so it should not be a shock if he does make the final roster.
74 • Spencer Anderson, Guard, Maryland
6-foot-5, 305 pounds, 24 years old, 2nd Season
Acquired: The Steelers drafted Anderson out of the University of Maryland with the 251st overall pick in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Last Year: After making the Steelers initial 53-man active roster due to his versatility, Anderson stayed on the roster all year as the team’s eight offensive lineman. Anderson played one offensive snap in the each of the team’s games against the Baltimore Ravens. He made his NFL Debut in Week 4 against the Houston Texans, logging two snaps on special teams.
| Year | GP | Offensive Snaps | Special Team Snaps | Sacks Allowed | Penalties | PFF Rating |
| 2023 | 8 | 2 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 60.0 |
College: Coming out of high school as a consensus three-star prospect, Anderson committed to Maryland over other schools such as Pitt, Wake Forest, and North Carolina. Anderson appeared in two games at right guard as a true freshman but retained his redshirt eligibility since he did not play more than four games.
In 2019, Anderson appeared in 11 of 12 games for the Terps but played more of a depth role. He played most of his snaps at right tackle as a redshirt freshman and even logged his first career start at the position. His lone start came against Rutgers where he helped pave the way for 48 points and 490 yards of total offense.
During the COVID shortened 2020 season, Anderson was one of six Terps to start all five games. He recorded four starts at left tackle and one at center.
As a redshirt junior, Anderson started all 13 games which included nine at right tackle and four at center. He helped block for a Maryland offense that set the record for the most passing yards in a single season (3,960) in school history. Anderson’s quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa broke multiple school records in 2021 behind Anderson and the rest of the offensive line. Following the season, Anderson was named an honorable mention All-Big Ten nominee.
As a redshirt senior, Anderson ended his career by starting all 13 games for the Terps for the second consecutive season. He logged 12 starts at right guard and one at right tackle in 2022. Maryland owned the third-best passing offense in the Big Ten in Anderson’s final season.
Anderson allowed just two sacks on 847 offensive snaps in his final season as a Terp.
Over his five seasons at Maryland, Anderson appeared in 44 games and logged 32 starts for the Terps. Anderson played all five positions along the offensive line for the Terps in his career.
| Year | GP | Snaps | Sacks Allowed | Penalties | PFF Rating |
| 2018 | 2 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 56.2 |
| 2019 | 11 | 211 | 1 | 1 | 60.9 |
| 2020 | 5 | 308 | 1 | 1 | 72.8 |
| 2021 | 13 | 866 | 1 | 4 | 64.9 |
| 2022 | 13 | 847 | 2 | 3 | 61.5 |
Salary cap and future: Anderson is entering the second season of his standard four-year rookie contract with the Steelers. He will cost $934,446 against the team’s cap space this season. Anderson’s rookie contract will keep him in Pittsburgh through the end of the 2026 season.
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