The Pittsburgh Steelers have spent all kinds of money and draft capital on the offensive line. The team knows that if it wants to have any chance of being a threat in the AFC, it has to win at the line of scrimmage first and foremost. Until this unit can gel together and keep any quarterback upright for as long as needed, Pittsburgh will continue to prioritize that position group in the offseason. Three first-round picks and many other quality choices may not be enough to this front office.
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Pittsburgh Steelers offensive linemen Spencer Anderson, Dylan Cook, Zach Frazier, Mason McCormick and Troy Fautanu gather on the field at Acrisure Stadium in 2026.
One pick that has worked amazingly was 2024 second-round center Zach Frazier. In just his third season in the NFL, he is growing into the leader that this team envisioned he would be on draft day. He's cleaned up his snapping issues that he had early on in his career, and the Steelers are very comfortable with having their running backs run right next to him in the A gap and push for a few yards.
Former Super Bowl champion Trai Essex has also been very impressed with Frazier's body of work. While making an appearance on 93.7 The Fan, he gave one of the highest compliments he could to the young center.
"He's on that [Maurkice Pouncey] trajectory for sure, and he is playing some outstanding football," Essex said. "But Pounce is a Hall-of-Famer, and there's still a few more steps he has to take to get to that level of play."
When someone is getting compared to the great Maurkice Pouncey, amazing things are happening. Obviously, Frazier has not done enough to be seen as a future Hall-of-Famer yet, but that potential is definitely there. If he keeps growing and developing like he has been, there's no doubt that the Steelers will keep him around for the next decade. Maybe then, he will be much more comparable to Pouncey.
In his third year in the NFL, the main thing that Frazier is working on is communication with the whole offensive line and continuing to grow as a leader. When it comes to pure physical abilities and technique, it is very hard to find something wrong with him. Now that he has quickly grown in that regard, the former second-round pick has to work on the mental part of the game and be someone that everyone looks up to.
Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers center Zach Frazier (54) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026 in Foxborough, MA.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers will likely retire at the end of the 2026 season, so the most probable scenario is that the 2027 starter will be a young, inexperienced passer. That new guy will be relying a lot on Frazier for communicating where the blitzes are coming from and how to adjust properly. That will be his biggest challenge of his career so far, so he has to keep learning the mental part of the game while he has Rodgers to help.
Steelers May Have To Break The Bank To Keep Frazier Around
For the longest time, the center market was greatly depreciated, with the highest-paid center only making $18 million per year. That all changed in 2026, when the Las Vegas Raiders inked free agent center Tyler Linderbaum to a record contract worth $27 million per year. With Frazier likely looking for an extension after the season, this could not have come at a worse time for Pittsburgh.
The Steelers will likely try to keep Frazier underneath that $27 million per year mark, but it's going to be very hard to justify lowballing him. Without him, who knows if this offensive line can function properly? They will most likely have to break their tradition of not giving out guaranteed money past the first year to keep him happy so he can report for training camp and help this offense thrive with a new quarterback.
What do you think about Frazier being compared to Pouncey, as well as what all he has to do to reach that level? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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