Stefen Wisniewski signed a two-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers last week with the intention of replacing Ramon Foster at left guard.
If he ends up replacing B.J. Finney, he’s OK with that, too.
Wisniewski, the team’s 31-year-old interior offensive lineman, chased playing time above all else when he entered free agency, and the Central Catholic graduate thought the best opportunity was joining his hometown team.
Foster retired March 16 after 11 seasons with the Steelers. Finney, the top interior backup, signed with the Seattle Seahawks.
Those transactions helped pave the way for Wisniewski’s homecoming.
“I was told I would have an opportunity to compete for the starting left guard job,” Wisniewski said Thursday on a conference call with reporters. “I’ve been a starter most of my career. That’s my goal — to win that job. If it doesn’t work out, I’ve been a backup guard/center, too. I can do that job as well.
“Certainly, my goal is to be the starter at left guard.”
Wisniewski’s top competition figures to be Matt Feiler, a former guard who started all but one game last season at right tackle. That exception came against the Los Angeles Rams when Feiler moved to left guard in place of an injured Foster.
The Steelers could move Feiler back inside this season while giving Zach Banner and Chuks Okorafor a chance to compete at right tackle.
Wisniewski is preparing like he’ll be playing between a pair of Pro Bowl players: left tackle Alejandro Villanueva and center Maurkice Pouncey. With nine years of NFL experience, Wisniewski won’t look out of place playing with those veteran linemen. Pouncey will turn 31 in July, and Villanueva will be 32 in September.
“I know it’s easy to play next to veterans because they have seen it all,” Wisniewski said. “They’ve seen anything a defense can do to you. They know where the problems are on plays. They know what the challenges are. They know how to communicate. That’s something I do well. I can communicate and anticipate what a defense is going to do.”
Wisniewski’s last two stops were Philadelphia and Kansas City, which run similar offensive schemes under coaches Doug Pederson and Andy Reid. Wisniewski won a Super Bowl at each place. Now, he’ll be tasked with learning a different scheme under coach Mike Tomlin. And he might have to do so without the benefit of offseason programs that could be eliminated because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Not having OTAs is potentially difficult coming in and trying to learn an offense,” Wisniewski said. “I’m a veteran, a smart guy and I think I can pick up the offense quickly no matter how much time we have in the offseason.
“I do think I can fit into most schemes in the NFL and the Steelers scheme.”
Wisniewski was out of work last year after being released by the Eagles at the end of training camp. He didn’t get signed by the Chiefs until October. He backed up at center and guard until an injury led to a starting spot at guard in December. He started the final five games, including all three in the postseason.
“I’ve been really blessed,” Wisniewski said. “The first six years of my career we didn’t have a winning season, didn’t make the playoffs once. I saw the other side of the NFL. That made me really appreciate how hard it is to get one Super Bowl, let alone being blessed to get two.”
He’d like to complete the hat trick with the Steelers, of course, whether it’s as a starter at left guard or the top interior backup.
“When Ramon retired, I knew there would be an open job,” Wisniewski said. “That will be exciting, but it’s definitely more exciting because it’s not any starting job, it’s a starting job for the Pittsburgh Steelers.”
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Joe Rutter is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Joe by email at jrutter@tribweb.com or via Twitter .
Categories: Sports | Steelers/NFL
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Stefen Wisniewski looking to crack Steelers lineup after Ramon Foster retirement - TribLIVE
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