RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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LANDOVER, MARYLAND - DECEMBER 20: Tyler Steen #56 of the Philadelphia Eagles looks on during an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium on December 20, 2025 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been spending a lot of time watching offensive line film as part of my work with The Scouting Academy. One of the five offensive linemen I have to evaluate for the course is Tyler Steen, which made this pretty perfect timing considering how many of you have asked me for a more detailed look at his game. After watching hours (and hours…) of clinics, I was interested to see whether my opinion of Steen had changed as I studied him, and it has!
I came away from this study more impressed with Steen as a run blocker than before, while slightly more concerned about his pass protection. It is also important to remember the context here. This was Steen’s first full season playing right guard at the NFL level. The Eagles’ offensive line also played poorly, and Lane Johnson missed half the season. Overall, there is plenty to like. There is also plenty that needs to improve.
Just FYI, I didn’t include film here to back up my work as I usually do, because I’m writing this while on holiday and the film I used for the Scouting Academy isn’t available to share publicly or record in the normal way. However, before I went away, I recorded a video on Steen’s film for my Patreon , so if you want to see me break down his play in video form, please check it out there! Right, enough pointless chat, let’s go!
Strengths
Athletic Ability and Movement Skills
This is easily the biggest reason to remain optimistic about Steen. He is an excellent athlete for an interior offensive lineman. His first-step quickness immediately stands out on film. Steen can explode out of his stance and cover ground extremely quickly, particularly when he is asked to work laterally or climb to the second level.
There are difficult reach blocks that Steen makes look relatively straightforward because of how quickly he can get himself across a defender’s face. When the Eagles ask him to reach defenders on outside zone runs, he has the foot speed to get to the defender’s outside shoulder and establish positioning before the defender has an opportunity to cross his face. That’s obviously a big help when you consider what the Eagles will do this year.
Steen does not need everything to happen directly in front of him. He can pull, climb, and work horizontally very effectively. He can briefly assist another offensive lineman before quickly transitioning onto a linebacker. He looks comfortable operating in space and rarely appears labored when asked to change direction or cover significant ground.
There are some impressive snaps where Steen gets out of his stance almost immediately, reaches what initially appears to be an extremely difficult landmark, and gets himself into the perfect position to seal the defender.
You can improve an offensive lineman’s technique, but it is much harder to manufacture the type of movement ability Steen already possesses. His athleticism gives him a relatively high ceiling because there are blocks he can physically reach that plenty of NFL guards simply cannot.
Zone Blocking
As referenced above, Steen’s movement skills make him particularly effective in the zone-run game. I came into this study expecting to be more critical of his run blocking, but there is a lot to like about the way Steen operates when the assignment is primarily about positioning rather than pure displacement. His initial phase on zone concepts can be excellent.
He gets off the line quickly, understands where he needs to get his body, and possesses the lateral quickness to establish leverage. On outside zone, there are snaps where Steen reaches the outside shoulder of a defensive lineman incredibly quickly and gets himself into an ideal position.
There are also good examples of Steen working to the second level, locating linebackers and using his movement skills to seal them away from the football. He moves naturally in space and doesn’t look uncomfortable while adjusting to moving targets. This is a big part of the zone run game.
Run Game Processing and Combination Blocks
Steen also showed more encouraging mental processing in the run game than I expected. I thought his work on combination blocks was consistently impressive. He generally understands how to work alongside the center or tackle without creating unnecessary space between the two blockers, and he appears comfortable determining when he needs to remain attached to the defensive lineman and when he can climb to the second level.
There were many excellent examples of his work with Cam Jurgens. There were times that Steen recognized that Jurgens needed some initial assistance, helped secure the first-level defender with one arm, and then immediately climbed once it became clear Jurgens had control of the block.
Offensive line play happens incredibly quickly, and poor timing on combination blocks can ruin an entire run. Leave too early, and the first-level defender can split the block. Stay attached too long, and the linebacker runs freely to the ball. Steen shows a good understanding of that relationship.
Initial Hand Placement
There are also examples of Steen displaying very good hand placement. On his better snaps, his hands remain tight and inside the defender’s frame. His elbows don’t flare excessively, and he can get his hands underneath the defender’s shoulder pads and establish initial control by winning with good low pad level. When his lower body and upper body are working together, the result can look excellent.
He can use his feet to establish position before using his hands to control the defender, and there are snaps where he effectively uses that leverage to turn or drag a defender away from the play. Steen’s initial punch can also carry some force w...
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