The Steelers will likely carry nine or ten offensive lineman on the 53 man roster during the 2012 NFL Season. With Willie Colon moving from right tackle to left guard there will be a slight impact on who will make the roster. Currently on the roster as offensive lineman are:
- OT Mike Adams
- OG Kelvin Beachum
- OG David DeCastro
- OG Willie Colon
- OG Trai Essex
- OG Ramon Foster
- OG/C Doug Legursky
- C Maurkice Pouncey
- OG/C Ryan Lee
- OG John Malecki
- OT Chris Scott
- OT Jonathan Scott
- OG Trevis Turner
- OT Max Starks *Rumored possible return
With Willie Colon moving from tackle to guard the Steelers become very thin at the tackle position. There are a lot of rumors circulating that Max Starks will be back with the team at some point. Starks is coming off of a torn ACL suffered in the Wild Card loss to the Denver Broncos in January. Depending on his health Starks could start the season at left tackle and would help to solidify a new and improved Steelers offensive line.
Pouncey, Colon and Gilbert are locks to make the opening day roster. Also, DeCastro and Adams being the teams first and second round picks are guranteed to be part of the 53 man roster. This leaves only about 4-5 spots for everyone else to take. If Starks returns that is one more spot gone. Also, the Steelers resigned Foster, Legursky, and Essex all this offseason making it almost a certainty that at the very least 2 of the 3 will be around on opening day.
With that said behind the starters it is hard to predict who will make the 53 man roster year to year, especially this early. However, we will give it a shot. The first prediction is based on Max Starks resigning with the Steelers. Mike Adams will have a shot to start as a rookie, but if Starks returns it is likely that Adams would spend his rookie season learning and waiting in the wings.
Prediction:
| Starter | Back-up | Emergency | |
| Left Tackle | M. Starks | M. Adams | T. Essex |
| Left Guard | W. Colon | R. Foster | T. Essex |
| Center | M. Pouncey | D. Legursky | T. Essex |
| Right Guard | D. DeCastro | T. Essex | R. Foster |
| Right Tackle | M. Gilbert | M. Adams | T. Essex |
*Kelvin Beachum Practice Squad
Pouncey, Colon, DeCastro and Gilbert are set as starters barring injury and Adams is a lock to make the roster. If Starks returns he will be on the roster and if healthy will be starting at left tackle. Behind the starters the Steelers should be looking for quality depth. Legursky, Foster, and Essex have starter experience and can provide depth at multiple positions. Essex is almost a lock to be on the 53 man roster due to his ability to play all five spots on the offensive line. Kelvin Beachum has a ton of starting experience from college, but is considered a bit of a project. He will likely be on the practice squad as a rookie, but he could turn into a contributor down the road.
This prediction has the Steelers carrying 10 offensive lineman. However, either Foster or Essex could be removed if the Steelers decide to carry only 9 lineman on the 53 man roster. It will be near impossible for Beachum, Lee, Malecki, and Turner to crack the roster due to the amount of starting experience the players in front of them have.
