The Week 9 bye came at a perfect time for the Steelers. In the first half of the season, Pittsburgh experienced a plethora of injuries, including season-ending ailments to important players on the offensive line like Troy Fautanu and James Daniels.
Fortunately, this team is finally starting to get healthy for a second-half playoff push.
Mike Tomlin hinted during the bye week that several members of the team would return to practice. Thankfully, Zach Frazier is one of the players scheduled to return. On November 4, Pittsburgh's starting center was spotted going through individual drills.
No Steelers injury report on a bonus Monday practice but here are Justin Fields, Cordarrelle Patterson and Zach Frazier out there for individuals. Good sign for their availability Sunday at Washington, albeit very early in the week. pic.twitter.com/wHXk2yp8YE
— Brian Batko (@BrianBatko) November 4, 2024
Zach Frazier is back pic.twitter.com/gtm5yW29ZL
— Nick Farabaugh (@FarabaughFB) November 4, 2024
#Steelers C Zach Frazier (ankle) back to work today alongside starting LG Isaac Seumalo.
— Alan Saunders (@ASaunders_PGH) November 4, 2024
Seems like a strong sign for his chances of playing this week. pic.twitter.com/qFvRbOWbV3
Frazier appears to be moving well on the field with no signs of pain. The second-round draft pick suffered an ankle injury in Pittsburgh's Week 6 win over the Las Vegas Raiders and missed the previous two games.
With an additional week to recover from the bye, Frazier is on track to suit up in Week 11 against the Commanders. The anchor on the offensive line will be a critical piece of the puzzle moving forward.
Steelers will rely on Zach Frazier to anchor the OL
Ryan McCollum filled in admirably in Frazier's absence, but every Steelers fan can be glad the rookie is on track to return to the field. Despite his missed time, Frazier has earned the second-highest PFF grades among all NFL centers at the halfway point of the 2024 season.
There's a reason for this. From day one, the West Virginia product made it known that he wants to finish every rep by driving defenders into the turf. While the rookie still has plenty of room for growth in pass protection, he instantly looks like one of the best run-blockers in the league.
Frazier, who turned 23 just before the start of the season, is only going to continue to improve. Continuity with chemistry along the offensive line will help.
At the beginning of the season, Frazier was wedged in between Spencer Anderson and James Daniels. Now he will fight side-by-side with Isaac Seumalo on his left and fellow rookie Mason McCormick on his right.
Collectively, this new-look group lives to pave running lanes on the ground, and fans should be excited to see what this unit looks like by the end of the season. Zach Frazier will be a huge part of the offense's success and the Steelers need him to stay healthy the rest of the way.