The Pittsburgh Steelers have been making serious investments in their offensive line over the last couple of seasons. The organization selected Zach Frazier with the 51st overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and he is currently competing with Nate Herbig for the starting center job. Frazier got off to a rough start for the first couple days of camp, and some have doubted him so far. However, he seems to be turning things around as he gets more comfortable playing at the NFL level.
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Steelers' Zach Frazier working on drills during camp.
Pittsburgh has struggled to find their starting center ever since Maurkice Pouncey retired after the 2020 season. Kendrick Green had no chance of working out, and Mason Cole was released after two years with the team and remains a free agent. Frazier has given fans hope, as they want him to work out and be the center in Pittsburgh for many years to come. New Offensive Coordinator, Arthur Smith spoke to the media after practice this week, and he gave a promising update on Frazier.
Steelers OC Arthur Smith on rookie center Zach Frazier: "The good thing is you don't even notice him because he's operating so cleanly. We've seen that the last couple of days and that's a positive. He's been stout in the middle."
— Mike DeFabo (@MikeDeFabo) August 1, 2024
Center, and any position along the offensive line, is one of the rare spots in football where you don't want to hear those players names a lot. If you do, it usually means they are struggling. Either messing up snaps, or constantly giving up pressure in pass protection. The same goes for cornerbacks. The best corners don't get targeted, and rarely get talked about. The worst ones get picked apart, and fans hear their name called on the broadcast repeatedly.
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Steelers' Nate Herbig at a training camp practice at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
Frazier has been steady in the middle, but he has been playing with the second-string offense. This also means he is mostly going against the second-string defense as well. Herbig is still the starter at center, but Frazier has been expected to take that spot before the regular season kicks off since before training camp began.
Herbig played a bit of center while he was with the Philadelphia Eagles, only 49 snaps to be exact, but he has spent most of his time at guard. Ryan McCollum is also a center on the roster, but he has spent the last two seasons on the practice squad and likely won't be making the final 53-man roster.
If Frazier can't beat out Herbig, fans should be worried. Many are desperate to see the issues at center come to an end, and Frazier is the best chance Pittsburgh has seen in a while. The update from Smith after practice on Thursday was promising, and hopefully Frazier will be able to keep stacking these practices. He gets his first real test on Friday, August 9th when the Steelers play their first preseason game.
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Steelers' Troy Fautanu warms up during rookie camp.
Steelers Rookie Offensive Linemen Are All Trying To Crack The Starting Lineup
Frazier is joined by Troy Fautanu and Mason McCormick as the rookies who were drafted on the offensive line. Fautanu was picked in the first round, while McCormick went in the fourth. Fautanu is competing for the right tackle spot, and if he is deemed ready to start, Broderick Jones would move to left tackle. This would officially kick Dan Moore Jr. out of the starting lineup.
Barring injury, McCormick doesn't really have much of a chance to start in 2024. The Steelers two guard spots are locked up by Isaac Seumalo and James Daniels. This doesn't mean McCormick isn't a part of the Steelers' future. Daniels' contract expires after the 2024 season and he will likely be too expensive to re-sign, so a spot should open up if McCormick seems to have earned it by then.
What do you think of the update from Smith on Frazier? Let us know in the comments below!
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