The Pittsburgh Steelers went into training camp expecting growth from all of their players, no matter how well they did in the previous year. However, concerns grew quickly about second-year center Zach Frazier, as his ability to snap the ball became inconsistent. Luckily, he seems to have fixed those problems as they have not flared up for about a week and a half. Pittsburgh can't afford to have its star center forget the basics and go into a deep sophomore slump. He needs to be on top of his game for the offense to thrive.
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Pittsburgh Steelers offensive linemen Mason McCormick (66) and Zach Frazier (54) during 2025 training camp in Latrobe, PA.
While having a conversation with Tim Benz of TribLive, Offensive Line Coach Pat Meyer explained why Frazier was unable to properly snap the ball and what they did to fix it.
"That’s early camp stuff that we don’t want," Meyer said. "Especially when you played all those games he had that were early on. It was always the first play of the first team period. Whether that’s him thinking too much, trying to add things to his technique in terms like throwing hands and doing some things had him maybe a little bit off kilter."
It sounds like the excitement just got the best of Frazier during those rough practices, so he had to be told to slow things down and focus on getting the snap right first. You can't rush a play like that and risk giving the ball away on something so simple and mundane. Just get the ball to the quarterback, but not too hard of course, and then focus on your blocking assignment.
Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers center Zach Frazier (54) snaps the football during a Week 4 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts in 2024.
Frazier had that problem early in the 2024 season, but managed to clean it up eventually. That won't be tolerated in his second year in the league. Frazier was actually already benched in training camp briefly, and it could happen again, especially with a very demanding quarterback in Aaron Rodgers.
Even though those issues have not happened again in several days, Meyer still seems annoyed about them happening in the first place. He explained his frustrating conversations with Frazier after plays kept getting botched.
"We had a conversation about it, and that’s done. It’s over with," Meyer said. "We’re not having any more. We’re not doing it anymore. He’s obviously diligent about it, so he doesn’t make any of those mistakes. And we can’t have those mistakes. He’s been solid the last two weeks now."
Working with Rodgers can be both exciting and scary, but Frazier just needs to settle down and treat him like he's any other quarterback. It doesn't matter what voice is calling out the cadences; he just needs to know the play and get the ball to him 100% of the time like he would with anyone else standing behind him. He will probably be hiking the football to a new signal-caller in 2026 as Rodgers has made it known this could be his final season in the NFL, so Frazier better learn to deal with the early-season jitters.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (X: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers looks on during a training camp practice in Latrobe, PA at Saint Vincent College.
Steelers' Offensive Line Will Be Key To Success
Rodgers has recently had a lot of struggles when pressured, as he has become one of the worst passers in the NFL against the blitz. Meyer's unit needs to gel together and develop quickly as one if they want to keep their passer upright in the pocket, especially with the pass rush from the outside. That is the key to success for 2025. Of course, it all begins with a perfect quarterback/center exchange on every single play.
What do you think about Meyer's comments on Frazier's issues with snapping the ball? Have they been fixed for good? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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