With David DeCastro's return, Steelers look to build consistency on offensive line

Until the NFL postponed their game Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers were on track to accomplish a modest goal on their offensive line against the Tennessee Titans.

The Steelers would have started the same five players up front in consecutive games for the first time this season.

Because that matchup has been pushed back until later in the month, the Steelers will have to wait another week until Alejandro Villanueva, Matt Feiler, Maurkice Pouncey, David DeCastro and Chuks Okorafor can line up together for a second game in a row, only this time the opponent will be the Philadelphia Eagles.

The postponement could be a positive for the line. It will give DeCastro another week to strengthen his knee, which kept him out of the lineup for the first two games. It will give Okorafor another week of work at right tackle since Zach Banner’s season-ending ACL injury in the season opener. And it will give Stefen Wisniewski, who also landed on injured reserve after the opener, more time to recover from his pectoral injury.

The return to normalcy began when DeCastro, a five-time Pro Bowl, two-time All-Pro selection, suited up against the Houston Texans after Wisniewski and rookie Kevin Dotson started in his absence.

“Your strength in numbers starts to improve, and you’re talking about an All-Pro player,” offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner said in the days leading up to that Week 3 matchup. “Yes, I have a smile on my face.”

The smiles didn’t dissipate after the line helped pave the way for James Conner to rush for 109 yards — the second time in as many weeks he reached triple digits — and the Steelers gained a season-high 169 yards on the ground while dominating the time of possession against the Texans.

“Dave is special,” said quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who was sacked just twice and didn’t throw an interception. “Dave is one of the guys that makes this thing go. I told him before the game just how happy I am to have him back — not because he’s a really good football player but because he’s a friend and really just means a lot to have him out there.”

Lining up on the outside, to the right of DeCastro, was Okorafor, the former third-round pick who was starting consecutive games for the first time in his career. After working alongside Dotson against the Denver Broncos, Okorafor had the more familiar DeCastro by his side as he matched up against Texans defensive end J.J. Watt, the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

Watt didn’t have a sack and finished with one solo tackle and three assists while frequently lining up across from Okorafor.

“Chuks played really well,” DeCastro said. “He is immensely talented. He’s had game experience before. (Going against Watt), he was calm and collected, and he had the athletic ability to do it.”

Although Okorafor lost the training camp competition to Banner, he had a pair of NFL starts at right tackle before this season, and he will have an the veteran DeCastro playing next to him to provide assistance.

“I have a lot of confidence in him, and the rest of the guys up front do, too,” Roethlisberger said. “They have to believe in each other because you’re working so closely with that guy next to you. To have Dave back, I know that helps Chuks. It makes Pouncey feel better. I feel better with it. I think that group is just continuing to get better.”

The Steelers also trotted out a familiar offensive lineman against the Broncos. Tackle Jerald Hawkins, a former fourth-round pick, appeared in his first game with the Steelers since 2017. Traded to Tampa Bay before roster cuts in 2019, Hawkins was on Houston’s practice squad to begin the season. The Steelers signed him to the 53-man roster after Banner tore his ACL.

Hawkins dressed but did not see action against Denver, but he played 15 snaps in the Steelers’ jumbo package as a blocking tight end. He could continue to see snaps as an extra blocker, particularly while fullback Derek Watt is out with a hamstring injury.

“He has done a nice job getting back on a moving train, if you will,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “He has held down that job in the past, so it’s not a new job for him. But, nonetheless, we still like the contributions we are getting from him. It makes us whole and gives us an opportunity to have the type of versatility we desire.”