Gennings Dunker opened Pittsburgh Steelers training camp as the third-team right guard, a colder start than many expected for a rookie who arrived in Latrobe with a real chance to force his way into the job. Spencer Anderson and Steven Jones were first in the rotation, leaving Dunker to begin the race from behind.
That is why the spot is being watched now, and why Ben Roethlisberger remains part of the search traffic around the Steelers’ line conversation. Dunker was a trade-up pick at No. 96 in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft, and the club valued his power, toughness and ability to create movement. James Campen also praised his pad level and footwork after the draft, saying Pittsburgh would sort out his best position once it got him on the field.
The early order matters because Anderson had handled the first-team work throughout the offseason program, while Jones entered camp with a different résumé: 49 college games for the Oregon Ducks and development time in the NFL after joining the Jacksonville Jaguars, but no regular-season appearance yet. On paper, that left Dunker as the most obvious challenger to a job the Steelers had treated as open. Instead, Brandon Wallace reported that the rookie started at third string, behind both Anderson and Jones.
There is also a simple reason the first few days of camp do not settle much. Linemen can move well in shorts and still reveal something different once contact starts. Dunker’s final season at Iowa came at right tackle, not guard, so the Steelers are still testing whether his size and strength translate cleanly inside. Campen’s earlier comments suggest the staff is not locked into a label; it is looking for the best fit, and that fit may only become clearer after the first padded practice on Aug. 3.
That gives Dunker a short but useful runway. If he shows he can anchor, strike and drive defenders with the kind of movement Pittsburgh drafted him to produce, the depth chart can change quickly. If he does not, Anderson and Jones can widen the gap before the real contact work even begins. For now, the rookie’s path to playing time is still open, but it starts with climbing over two names that were in front of him when camp opened.
