It took Dylan Cook nearly four seasons in the NFL before he made his debut. When it was time to step on the field, finally, everything was a bit of a blur for a moment for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 27-year-old rookie offensive lineman.
Cook was elevated from the practice squad before the Steelers’ 27-22 victory over the Baltimore Ravens last Sunday because reserve lineman Calvin Anderson was inactive due to a knee injury. Starting left tackle Broderick Jones is on injured reserve with a neck injury that will cause him to miss the remainder of the season.
Andrus Peat started in Jones’ place for a second straight week. However, Peat left the game in the second half and was placed in concussion protocol. Cook subbed for him, finishing out the game.
Despite waiting so long to get into a regular-season game, Cook didn’t have time to reflect. Instead, he reacted.
“Let's play ball," Cook said. "Nothing more to it. I mean, intimate divisional relationship, so energy's always high. They expect next man up to be able to perform at that level, so I just felt relaxed and ready to go."
How much more ball Cook will play remains to be seen, much of it predicated on Peat’s status. However, Cook says he will be ready to go if needed when the Steelers (7-6) host the Miami Dolphins (6-7) on Monday night at Acrisure Stadium.
"I can definitely relax a little bit more," Cook said. “Going forward, I know I can kind of take a deep breath. I have more time than I think I do when it comes to the ball being snapped, so just kind of settle in."
Cook has indeed persevered to reach this point. He spent the majority of the 2022 season on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ practice squad after going undrafted following his collegiate career at Montana. Cook was on the Steelers’ practice squad for parts of the 2023 and 2024 seasons and all this year until being elevated last week.
"I felt it was good," Cook said of his performance in his debut. "Definitely ready for the moment. Been prepared, so it was good to see it finally come through."