The Pittsburgh Steelers are placing rookie offensive guard Gennings Dunker on injured reserve after he suffered a sprained MCL during practice, NFL insider Tom Pelissero reported on Saturday.
Dunker was rolled up on during a recent session and will miss four to six weeks. Surgery is not required.
The third-round pick out of Iowa had already been inactive for the first two games of the season. He was listed as out for Sunday’s home game against the Cincinnati Bengals before the injured-reserve decision.
At 6-foot-5 and 319 pounds, Dunker was selected 96th overall in the 2026 NFL Draft. Pittsburgh immediately moved him from tackle, his college position, to guard.
The Steelers signed him to a four-year rookie contract in May. Offensive line coach James Campen praised the Iowa product at the time.
“He is an aggressive kid,” Campen said. “Good football player. They’re so well coached at Iowa. They come out and have established pad level and footwork.”
Dunker started 38 games for the Hawkeyes across four seasons after redshirting as a freshman. He earned first-team All-Big Ten honors in 2025 and helped Iowa’s line win the Joe Moore Award that year.
Pittsburgh hoped he would develop behind veterans after Isaac Seumalo departed in free agency. Spencer Anderson won the starting right guard job out of camp. Brock Hoffman has been the primary backup.
Anderson is playing through a broken bone in his lower leg suffered in Week 2 against New England. That has already stretched the interior line.
Dunker appeared as a limited participant Thursday and did not practice Friday. The knee issue surfaced suddenly on the injury report.
He allowed just two pressures on 91 preseason snaps at right guard, according to Pro Football Focus tracking. Coaches still viewed him as a developmental piece rather than an immediate starter.
The timing is inconvenient. Pittsburgh sits at 1-1 heading into a divisional matchup with Cincinnati. Aaron Rodgers has already been under pressure at times this season.
Injured reserve means Dunker must miss at least four games. A four-to-six-week timeline would put his earliest possible return around mid-to-late October.
The Steelers have other interior options. Ryan McCollum can slide over from center in a pinch. Hoffman is expected to see more work if Anderson’s leg continues to bother him.
Dunker grew up in Iowa and later Lena, Illinois. He played high school ball at Lena-Winslow before joining the Hawkeyes.
Iowa coaches used him at both tackle and guard during his career. That versatility was part of the appeal for Pittsburgh.
Campen noted the rookie’s willingness to try new things.
“You always look for guys that are first in line doing things that are challenging or different like he did at the Senior Bowl,” the coach said earlier this year.
The injury is the latest in a string of setbacks for the offensive line and skill-position group. Running back Rico Dowdle is also out this week with a toe injury.
Dunker’s absence does not change the immediate depth chart much because he had not dressed yet. It does remove a young body from practice and development work.
Pittsburgh will continue to evaluate Hoffman and Anderson as the season progresses. The hope remains that Dunker can return healthy and compete for snaps later in the year.
The Steelers host the Bengals on Sunday at Acrisure Stadium.
