Ben Roethlisberger liked what he saw from Pittsburgh Steelers rookie Max Iheanachor in his first NFL start. Now he wants to see how the first-round pick handles a much less comfortable setting.
Iheanachor started at right tackle in Pittsburgh’s 30-27 win over the Cincinnati Bengals and immediately helped stabilize an offensive line that had struggled through the first two weeks. But the Steelers don’t get much time to enjoy it.
They travel to Cleveland for a Thursday night AFC North matchup, giving Iheanachor his first NFL road start on a short week.
Roethlisberger believes that combination will present a much different challenge.
Ben Roethlisberger Sends Max Iheanachor Warning Before Browns Game
Roethlisberger discussed Iheanachor on Tuesday’s “Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger” podcast, praising the rookie while warning that Cleveland will test him differently than Cincinnati did at Acrisure Stadium.
“You better be ready Iheanachor. They’re gonna start doing some stuff to you. The other thing to take into consideration this week is it’s gonna go on the road. Hostile, loud, short week. It is a different animal going on the road, Iheanachor. I’m excited for him. I want him to succeed. I want the line to do well. I’m just saying it is different playing on the road on Thursday in a hostile environment, in Cleveland, as opposed to playing at home against the Bungles,” Roethlisberger said.
The warning comes after a solid debut as a starter.
Iheanachor played all 62 offensive snaps against Cincinnati and finished with an 81.3 overall grade from Pro Football Focus. His biggest impact came in the run game, where he earned a 91.4 run-blocking grade.
His 64.5 pass-blocking grade wasn’t nearly as dominant, but the rookie allowed only two pressures, both hurries. He didn’t surrender a quarterback hit or sack at right tackle.
His addition helped Pittsburgh finally find some rhythm offensively. The Steelers produced season highs in points, first downs, rushing yards, passing yards and total offense, finishing with 411 yards while converting seven of 12 third downs.
Max Iheanachor Faces Different Test in Cleveland
The Steelers didn’t put Iheanachor into the lineup simply because they were desperate for a change.
Steelers offensive coordinator Brian Angelichio said after the Bengals game that the rookie had shown enough during the week to earn the opportunity, particularly with his command of the cadence and snap count.
“I thought Max handled it well with what was put in front of him,” Angelichio said. “The physical part of it, you knew Max was going to go out and compete and play really hard.”
The Steelers selected Iheanachor No. 21 overall in April after he started 31 games at Arizona State. He allowed only three sacks across 1,159 career pass-blocking snaps in college despite not beginning his football career until junior college.
Roethlisberger has been pushing for Pittsburgh to get the rookie onto the field since before the season. After the offensive line struggled in Weeks 1 and 2, he again questioned why Iheanachor wasn’t playing.
His first start provided a strong answer.
The next test comes quickly, though. Pittsburgh and Cleveland enter Thursday at 2-1, and the Steelers haven’t won in Cleveland since Roethlisberger’s final season in 2021.
Iheanachor won’t have the benefit of a home crowd, a normal week of preparation or the surprise factor that came with his first start.
That is exactly what Roethlisberger was getting at. Iheanachor passed his first test. Now he gets the one that looks a lot more like life as an NFL starting tackle.
Steelers Rookie Gets Blunt Ben Roethlisberger Warning Before Browns Game