Free-agent signing Mason Cole is well aware of the Steelers' strong tradition at the center position.
Of the seven players currently in the Pro Football Hall of Fame whose primary position was center, two -- Mike Webster and Dermontti Dawson -- played for the Steelers.
Add in perennial All-Pro Maurkice Pouncey, who retired following the 2020 season, and former stars such as Ray Mansfield and Jeff Hartings, as well, and the Steelers have put together decades of strong play at the position.
"Actually, not as much as I thought," Cole said Tuesday on the first day of Phase 3 of the Steelers' OTA sessions here at the UPMC-Rooney Sports Complex when I asked him how often that center tradition has been mentioned.
But walk into the team's offensive line meeting room and you see pictures of four players on the wall -- Webster, Dawson, Pouncey and Hall of Fame guard Alan Faneca.
"Of course. Hopefully, I can add to that," Cole said of the team's center tradition. "Two Hall of Famers, maybe three. I think it's ticking a little more in that direction."
That certainly wasn't the case in 2022 as rookie third-round draft pick Kendrick Green struggled learning the position on the fly.
It resulted in some very uneven play that eventually landed Green on the bench with J.C. Hassenauer taking his place.
The Steelers, who were cash-strapped a year ago, were flush with salary cap space this offseason. They not only addressed the center position, they did so in a big way, not only adding Cole, but veteran James Daniels, as well.
The additions create something of a logjam on the interior of the team's offensive line.
But it seems you can never be too rich, too good looking or have too many good offensive linemen.
At least that's the hope for the Steelers.
Cole confirmed Tuesday that he took the snaps as the team's first-team center, while Daniels was at right guard. That left Green and returning starting left guard Kevin Dotson sharing snaps at that position.
It was only the first day of full team workouts with coaches on the field, but that seems like a bit of a plan -- at least for now.
"I don't know that I'm looking forward here in May," Mike Tomlin said. "Like a lot of things we’re just laying down some foundational things and teaching and learning and identifying candidates for roles, as opposed to divvying up the labor."
But the Steelers also didn't sign Daniels to a three-year, $26.5-million contract and Cole to a three-year, $15.75-million deal to have them sit and watch.
Daniels, a former second-round pick of the Bears, has played all three interior offensive line spots, while Cole, a 2018 third-round pick of the Cardinals who was traded to the Vikings before last season, has experience at all three spots, as well.
But Cole said he likes center best.
"That's where I feel most comfortable at," he said. "That's where I've gotten the most reps. I've started a decent number of games at center. I've played guard. But I feel confident at any of the three interior positions. I feel I can play at a high level at any of them."
That could leave Dotson, a 2020 fourth-round pick, and Green fighting for one spot.
And it might not be as set in stone as some might think.
Though Dotson started at left guard last season and has been with the Steelers two years, he has just 13 career starts. He started four games as an injury replacement as a rookie, then nine games last season before he missed the final two months of the year with a high-ankle sprain.
Despite entering just his second season, Green owns two more career starts than Dotson.
So, the competition between Green and Dotson could be Tomlin's way of lighting a fire under both.
“It’s kind of new offense. We are all kind of rotating, taking reps here and there, so just kind of all trying to get a feel over who is going to be where,” Green said.
• Stephon Tuitt wasn't here for the first day the media could be in attendance.
But that doesn't mean the defensive lineman still isn't planning on playing this season after missing all of last season with a knee injury and dealing with the death of his younger brother in a hit-and-run incident.
In fact, teammate Cam Heyward confirmed the front office's optimism regarding Tuitt's return is well founded.
“I’ve talked to him,” Heyward said Tuesday. “He’ll be here sooner or later. I’m not counting my sheep right now. My guys will be here. It’s really early. I’ve never had full attendance at OTAs. And I don’t expect it.”
OTA sessions are voluntary. The Steelers won't hold a mandatory workout until their three-day minicamp, which begins June 7.
Tuitt recently sold his home in Pittsburgh's northern suburbs and has moved his family to the Indianapolis area, where his wife can be closer to her family.
But all signs point to a return.
“He’s good,” said defensive lineman Tyson Alualu, who is returning after missing all but five quarters of last season with a fractured ankle. “He’s back with his family and working.”
• Mason Rudolph was asked Tuesday about his feelings regarding the death last month of quarterback Dwayne Haskins, with whom he had formed a friendship while backing up Ben Roethlisberger last year.
"I walked up today to the quarterback room, like I had the last month and the guy used to sit across the room on the very same row I did," Rudolph said. It's just sobering that he's never going to walk back in that room.
"There's been a lot said about how great of a guy he was to work with, because he really was. Every time he came in the quarterback room, he had a smile on his face and he kept it light. He was a good teammate regardless of, you know, quarterbacks and competing against each other."
Haskins was struck and killed by a dump truck April 9 near Fort Lauderdale, Fla., while crossing a highway. Toxicology reports released Monday revealed he had a blood alcohol content of .24 at the time of his death.
"It's heartbreaking," said Mitch Trubisky. "I think about him every day. I only knew him for a short time, but he definitely left an impact on my life in the short time I knew him. I think about him when I wake up, step on the field, all those things. He's in our hearts and the only thing we can do is go out there and honor him in the way we live our lives."
