The Pittsburgh Steelers have made it clear in recent years that building in the trenches remains a priority.
Few people are more responsible for that philosophy than assistant general manager Andy Weidl, who has played a significant role in Pittsburgh’s scouting and draft process alongside general manager Omar Khan. Since Weidl arrived in Pittsburgh, the Steelers have consistently invested significant draft capital in both their offensive and defensive lines.
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That approach continued in the 2026 NFL Draft, when Pittsburgh used its first-round pick on Arizona State offensive tackle Max Iheanachor before adding Iowa offensive lineman Gennings Dunker in the third round and Notre Dame defensive lineman Gabriel Rubio in the sixth.
For Weidl, however, the philosophy is about more than simply winning the line of scrimmage on Sundays. It is about making sure the team still has enough in the tank when the season reaches its most important stretch.
“It’s nice to have that,” Weidl said via Chris Adamski. “It keeps your guys fresh, so when you get to December and January football, you’re able to surge. That’s why we invest there.”
That mindset is particularly evident on the defensive line, where the Steelers have aggressively built depth around veterans such as Cameron Heyward and younger players including Keeanu Benton, Derrick Harmon and Yahya Black. Pittsburgh also added veteran Sebastian Joseph-Day and drafted Rubio this offseason.
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Weidl has seen the benefits of that strategy firsthand. Before joining the Steelers, he was part of Philadelphia‘s front office during the Eagles’ Super Bowl-winning era, an organization known for emphasizing the trenches and maintaining waves of defensive linemen.
“Two waves” of players can keep a defensive front fresh, Weidl has explained, allowing the unit to maintain its physicality deep into the season.
That philosophy could become particularly important under new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, whose scheme emphasizes versatility and interchangeable pieces along the defensive front.
The Steelers have also invested heavily in their offensive line, selecting Broderick Jones, Troy Fautanu, Zach Frazier and Iheanachor with significant draft capital in recent years. The objective is similar: establish depth, competition and enough quality up front to withstand the inevitable injuries and attrition of an NFL season.
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Weidl’s philosophy isn’t complicated – Build the trenches. Build depth. Keep players fresh.
Then, when December and January arrive and the stakes rise, Pittsburgh wants to be the team still capable of playing its best football.
For a Steelers team trying to end a seven-game playoff losing streak and make a deeper postseason run in 2026, that investment could ultimately prove more important in January than it appears in August.
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