Steelers' Omar Khan Has 3 Choices To Strengthen A Suddenly Vulnerable Center Position

The Pittsburgh Steelers center position is sacred in the NFL. Mike Webster is considered the best player ever at the position. Based on his stellar playing career, Dermontti Dawson followed him into the Hall of Fame, and Maurkice Pouncey has a chance to end up in Canton, OH as well. Mason Cole is Pittsburgh's current center, but his contract only carries him through 2024 with the Steelers.

The backup center role has been in the spotlight over the last few days. Kendrick Green’s mishaps in the Buffalo Bills preseason game are more evidence that he is not an NFL-caliber center. It should not be news to any Steelers fan who watched him play the position in Ben Roethlisberger’s final season.

Steelers Legendary Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger Blasts Kevin Colbert

Roethlisberger blasted Kevin Colbert for even thinking Green could be the solution at center on Episode 31 of the Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger podcast. The famously passive-aggressive former signal-caller used a compliment of Green to bash Colbert’s pick to snap the ball to him in his final season.

“I love Kendrick Green. He was my center my last year,” Roethlisberger said. “They drafted that guy to be my center. Well, last year, he didn’t even dress and now they have him playing a little bit of fullback.”

Mason Cole and Kendrick down the ramp first! Those are two guys who NEED to have a good week. Cole because of his struggles over the weekend and Green because of his struggles… well, since being drafted. Rooting for both these guys, let’s get it! #HereWeGo pic.twitter.com/2fuanlCxKx

— B-Wall (@BWall) August 1, 2023

Cole struggled early in training camp with snapping the ball to Kenny Pickett, but he seems to have gotten over his minor case of the yips. It will be interesting to see if the weather that affected him during training camp will resurface as an issue at Accrisure Stadium. Cole played well in 2022 and is currently unchallenged as the starting center by default.

The Steelers don’t have many options to fix the center position long-term before the start of the season. Cole started all 17 games in 2022. He is not and probably never will be a Pro Bowl-level center, but he was arguably the team's best lineman in 2022. Omar Khan and Andy Weidl did not prioritize the position this offseason, but it is making its way onto the radar quickly in 2023. The Steelers have three options to address the situation as it stands.

Option 1

Stand pat with Cole. This is the most likely option. The Steelers will have to hope that Nate Herbig is up to the task if called upon as the backup center. Ryan McCollum could get the job as the backup, but it feels more like an emergency solution. A good college center, James Daniels, could also shift over in a pinch.

This option would give the Steelers time to scout Georgia Bulldogs center Sedrick Van Pran and Arizona Wildcats center Jordan Morgan as more permanent solutions. Drafting a young player to learn under Cole next season is a good solution if it does not negatively affect the 2023 season.

Option 2

Play the waiver wire. The Steelers have not had much success with this option recently. It is for a good reason. Routine salary cap errors by other NFL teams are less prevalent. A decade ago, it was possible to find viable options after the last preseason game because of salary cap mismanagement. You can still mine gold off the waiver wire, but it is probably because a player that a team was high on before the draft fell short of making a loaded roster at his position.  

This option is possible for the Steelers; if a solid young center is let go, Khan and Weidl will pounce. A still-unsigned veteran free agent like Ben Jones from the Tennessee Titans could be a solution, but with his concussion issues from last season and his advanced age, this would be a longshot fix.

Option 3

Trade draft capital for an upgrade. Virtually everything Khan has touched as a general manager has turned to gold. The Steelers offense has improved, and the Super Bowl window is about to fling open. There are viable options on what will probably be bad teams in 2023. Teams will eventually get leary about trading with Pittsburgh if the Khan artist’s reputation gets any bigger, so why not take advantage now?

David Andrews from the New England Patriots would fit the bill perfectly. Andrews has 100 NFL starts and is also signed through 2024. According to Pro Football Focus, he is the sixth-best center in the NFL, and the Patriots have already shown themselves to be willing trade partners. The Steelers rarely trade draft picks, but a top-tier center with a championship pedigree is a tempting option.

Under the watchful eye of Mike Tomlin, Khan, and Weidl, the Steelers roster has been completely revamped this offseason. There is still work to do; finding the next great long-term center should be a priority. The question is not if Pittsburgh will do it, but how they will handle the upgrade.

What do you think, Steeler Nation? Which option would you choose for the center position in the future? Let me know what you think. Please comment below or on my Twitter/X:@thebubbasq. 

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