Pittsburgh Steelers make surprising left tackle decision with Broderick Jones out originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Pittsburgh Steelers will have a different starting left tackle in Week 13, as Broderick Jones has been ruled out due to injury.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHowever, Jones' replacement is not the guy we were all expecting.
Instead of putting Calvin Anderson at left tackle for Sunday's game against the Buffalo Bills, the Steelers will deploy Andrus Peat.
"Andrus Peat will be the left tackle," Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported after head coach Mike Tomlin made the announcement.
Jones suffered a neck injury in Week 12 and didn't practice at all this week before being ruled out.
So, why go with Peat over Anderson?
We don't have an official answer on that, but Alex Kozora of Steelers Depot thinks it might have to do with the fact that Peat is a bigger body and better run blocker.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWhen looking at their respective Pro Football Focus run-blocking grades over the course of their careers, there isn't a huge difference between the two.
In 2025, Peat has posted a 65.2 in four run-blocking snaps, while Anderson sports a 62.5 in eight run-blocking snaps.
Peat has played at guard for the vast majority of his career, but he has seen 1,959 snaps at left tackle over 11 seasons.
He last played regularly at the position in 2023, when he surrendered two sacks, 20 pressures and posted PFF grades of 62.1 in run-blocking and 54.5 in pass-blocking over 715 snaps.
At 32 years old, Peat's best days are well behind him, so there's no telling what he'll be able to offer on Sunday. If he falters, we would expect a quick hook for Anderson.
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