PITTSBURGH —Pittsburgh Steelers rookie offensive lineman Gennings Dunker , who left Sunday's practice early, was not participating during the portion of practice open to the media on Wednesday.
With Dunker missing practice, it seems very unlikely that he will play in Friday night's preseason game against the New York Jets.
Dunker struggled throughout training camp. Pass protection was an adventure for Dunker , and it's apparent that the shift from tackle to guard is going to take a little bit longer than just one training camp for Dunker to feel comfortable at his new spot — let alone see any hoped-for improvement from that part of his game, which was the primary reason he needed to move to guard at the NFL level in the first place.
Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman Gennings Dunker at training camp on Aug. 8, 2026. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Dunker, who stands at 6-foot-5, 319 pounds, has 33.5-inch arms and 10-inch hands. He played both left guard and right tackle at Iowa. He's an absolute mauler in the run game, but as mentioned, he needs to improve in the pass blocking department.
Dunker played through multiple injuries in the 2025 season (shoulder, MCL tear). His toughness and grit are two traits that were praised by analysts in the pre-draft process.
He made headlines at the NFL Combine for his flowing red-haired mullet and thick mustache. Dunker is widely known for his love of Culver's, a Midwestern fast-food chain.
NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger was very bullish on Dunker. He tabbed Dunker as the best third-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
"Gennings Dunker, we all saw him at the Senior Bowl, we all fell in love with the mullet," Baldinger said recently on NFL Network's The Insiders . "He's an Iowa kid that played right tackle. But they lost their left guard in free agency this year, Isaac Seumalo. I think Gennings Dunker has got his eyes on that position at left guard. He can step in and play that position and be like a Steeler. Just nasty as can be."
Dunker was named first-team All-Big Ten by the media last season. He started all 13 games at RT. Team won the Joe Moore Award for having the nation's top OL.
Alan Saunders provided reporting from Pittsburgh.
The post Promising Steelers Rookie Offensive Lineman Suffers Injury appeared first on Steelers Now .
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