Film Room: Isaac Seumalo Steelers Biggest Offseason Addition (+)

Each spring, when other NFL teams are tripping over themselves to spend unreasonable amount of money on free agents, the Pittsburgh Steelers are always more deliberate with their intentions. They are usually good for one noticeable mid-level upgrade each year and in 2023, that enhancement came via former Philadelphia Eagles Guard Isaac Seumalo.

His three-year, $24 million-dollar contract might not seem lavish for most organizations but for the Steelers, this is a pretty significant investment given their historical spending trends.

The former third-round pick turns 30-years old in October and only garnered 28 snaps on offense throughout the preseason. However, his impact has been fairly easy to see. He’s been flawless in pass protection and hasn’t been tagged with allowing a single pressure through three preseason outings according to PFF. The difference in Pittsburgh’s offensive line play from last year’s preseason to this summer is drastic, to the point where it’s almost a night and day contrast. Seumalo’s mere calming presence and steady hand has a lot to do with that improvement.

In the final dress rehearsal against the Atlanta Falcons, Seumalo put on a clinic in the run game.

Najee Harris was largely a non-factor this preseason until the Falcons game where the team elected to get more involved, giving him the chance to run behind his new left guard for the first time in game action. It’s safe to assume that Harris, entering his third year with the team, is going to enjoy reaping the benefits of the Steelers biggest offseason addition. Early in the first quarter against the Falcons, the offense dialed up their split-zone rushing concept against a five-front front.

Seumalo is going to be such a nice addition to this OL. So steady in every phase of the game.

Even taking backups into context here, that lane that Harris has to run through on split zone is massive. Love it. pic.twitter.com/wPUcPgsJzd

— Derrick (@Steelers_DB) August 25, 2023

Aligned in 12 personnel (two tight ends, two receivers and one running back), the play is designed to go to the strong side of the formation with a three-technique lined up across from Seumalo. You can immediately notice the strong base and pristine hand placement as he becomes engaged with the defender at the line of scrimmage. He then runs his feet and begins torqueing the defensive lineman towards the outside, which creates a massive running lane for the tailback. Coupled with a strong double team on the nose tackle, this makes for an easy read for Harris as he’s able to go untouched through the A-gap for an easy first down.

In 2022, the Steelers finished 23^rd in the NFL by converting only 51.9% of their red zone opportunities into touchdowns according to Pro Football Reference. This figure alone left much to be desired seeing as the best offenses are the ones that convert those looks into touchdowns instead of field goals. On the opening drive against the Falcons, Seumalo helped the offense punch in a score near the goal line.

pic.twitter.com/ijK1rUJWVe

— Derrick (@Steelers_DB) August 27, 2023

Pittsburgh lines up in 11 personnel (three receivers, one tight end and one running back) and is running the exact same play as the one previously mentioned: split-zone. Atlanta responds with an “over” front with the three-technique set to the strong side of the formation leaving Seumalo to team up with center Mason Cole on a double team. He explodes off the snap by targeting the outside shoulder of the shaded nose tackle. Once he establishes contact with good pad level, he runs his feet to help displace the defender from his gap. This creates a significant hole for Harris to glide through for a touchdown.

We’ve talked at length this offseason about the Steelers needing to find a way to add more explosive plays on offense, rather via the pass or the run. Last season, the Steelers combination of Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren only ripped off 11 breakaway runs of over 15+ yards despite carrying the ball nearly 350 times as a duo per PFF. This preseason has been different with perhaps the best example being Jaylen Warren’s electric 62-yard TD against the Bills.

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— Derrick (@Steelers_DB) August 27, 2023

Pittsburgh was running outside zone to the weak side of the formation. With the Bills aligning in an “over” front, Seumalo is uncovered, but first checks towards the edge defender to make sure that he’s not getting some sort of run stunt his way. After confirming, he can immediately begin working to the second level in route to the play side linebacker. Run blocking in particular is all about angles and Seumalo does a nice job working to the outside shoulder of the linebacker, easily sealing him off and creating a ton of space for Warren to scamper through. Thanks to superb all-around blocking from his teammates, all Warren has left to do is outrun the safety.

Since the dawn of the Omar Khan and Andy Wiedl era, it’s very apparent that the Steelers wanted to get more physical up-front, particularly on offense, borrowing a philosophy that the Philadelphia Eagles have prioritized for years. This is more than just typical “coach-speak.” Pittsburgh has invested in talent that would help them create more movement in the run game with Seumalo being a rather large and obvious example of that.

With so many promising young players on offense, it’s easy to sort of forget about a rock-solid veteran left guard like Isaac Semualo. After all, offensive line play is often an afterthought for many with guards not being viewed as premium position players. But don’t let that diminish Seumalo’s value in your eyes.  Once the regular season kicks off, Kenny Pickett will have more time in the pocket and the running backs will have more room to navigate with their new left guard playing a large role in those situations. Seumalo is the Steelers biggest addition on offense and will be an integral part of their ascension this season.