Throughout the preseason there has been a lot of speculation that the Pittsburgh Steelers would welcome back one of their departed offensive lineman.

They surprised Steelers Nation today by doing just that.

Early in the day Ed Bouchette reported on PG Plus that Trai Essex stopped by the South Side to pick up his AFC Championship ring. While Bouchette did not rule anything out, his post made it pretty clear nothing else was afoot.

As it turns out, Bouchette was wrong, as the Steelers resigned veteran tackle/guard/tight end? Trai Essex to a one year deal. To make room for Essex, the Steelers waived unrestricted rookie free agent Nevin McCaskill.

Prior to Essex’s return, it was widely expected that the Steelers would either bring back Max Starks and Flozell Adams, both of whom they waived ealier this summer in salary cap moves.

Essex is a lesser player than both Starks and Adams, but he does bring versitility, or as Mike Tomlin likes to say, “position flexibility.” Essex can step in at either tackle or guard position, and last year lined up as a blocking tight end on a number of occasions. Indeed, Ed Bouchette has even suggested that the Steelers resign Essex and use him as the number two tight end.

With the Steelers offensive line in a state of flux, it will be interesting to see if this is the final move that they make.

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