The Pittsburgh Steelers had a lot of new faces on the offensive side of the ball in their Week 1 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. From a brand new quarterback, new wide receivers, and young offensive linemen, but one player that shined in their 18-10 victory in Atlanta was Zach Frazier. The rookie was one of the few bright spots on the offense. He is tasked to become the next great Pittsburgh center and according to a prominent NFL insider, they got their guy.
Justin K Aller / Getty Images
Zach Frazier blocking in his first preseason game against the Houston Texans.
Brian Baldinger broke down Frazier's regular season debut and to say he was impressed by the Steelers' rookie would be an understatement. Baldinger could not get enough of Frazier taking down every Falcons player that he could get his hands on. He even went as far in saying that Steelers' legend Mike Webster would have been proud of Frazier's first start.
"After watching this Steelers' offense and this performance against Atlanta, it became pretty apparent that the only fun part of the whole offense was watching Zach Frazier play and just how he plays."
Baldinger couldn't keep his eyes off Frazier, loving his aggressiveness and the edge that he plays with. He couldn't even keep count on how many guys Frazier planted into the ground. Baldinger was even impressed with how he handled himself against veteran players like Grady Jarrett and Lorenzo Carter -- pointing out that he was bullying them during and after the play, not showing signs of a rookie making his first start in the NFL.
Gene J. Puskar / AP Photo
Steelers' Zach Frazier taking a break during OTAs
Frazier is tasked to be the center that the Steelers have been looking for since Maurkice Pouncey retired in 2021. Since Pouncey's retirement, the Steelers drafted Kendrick Green in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft in hopes that he could step into the starting center role. Unfortunately, Green could not get the job done and would end up being traded to the Houston Texans in 2023. Mason Cole was the next man to take on the starting center role, had a serviceable first season with the Steelers, but last season, he was plagued with bad snaps and poor blocking.
Frazier, who was selected in the second round out of West Virginia, has been impressive since day one. Even though Nate Herbig was slated to be the Steelers' starting center to begin the regular season, a season-ending injury gave Frazier the opportunity to step into the role sooner than expected. Frazier had a few rough moments in the preseason, with bad snaps and rookie mistakes, but it seemed that the rookie jitters were no longer there in Atlanta.
Frazier had a very successful college career, being named an All-American twice, was named All-Big 12 Conference three times, recording 46 starts for the Mountaineers with 37 straight starts at center. In his four-year career in West Virginia, he only allowed four sacks.
The Steelers have been very focused on building their offensive line the past two years -- drafting Broderick Jones and Troy Fautanu with their last two first round selections. The Steelers would draft two other offensive linemen in the 2024 NFL Draft, Frazier and Mason McCormick to bring in more talented youth into their trenches. Omar Khan signed Isaac Seumalo from the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023. The Steelers believe that games are won in the trenches and their activity in the last two years has shown that.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers guard Isaac Seumalo was an important upgrade by the team's front office to help stabilize the offensive line.
Steelers' Rookie Center Continues To Impress
Frazier will continue to build off his impressive Week 1 performance. The Steelers are on the road once again facing the Denver Broncos. While there was still a few moments of miscommunication between him and Justin Fields, his overall performance should have Steelers fans very excited about their young center. While the offense is still looking to improve in many areas, their concerns for their young rookie were washed away after their Week 1 win.
Is Frazier the next great center that the Steelers have been looking for, or do you think he needs to show more as the season continues? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
#SteelerNation
