As we all know by now offensive lineman Nate Herbig suffered a rotator cuff injury in practice ahead of the preseason game with Bills. The prognosis brought an early end to his 2024 season.
The injury is a blow to the Steelers offense, which appears to be struggling this far in the 2024 preseason. Furthermore, the Steelers had been using Herbig as their starting center.
With Herbig now out for the season with a torn rotator cuff, the injury will give one of the Steelers' rookies, rookie center Zach Frazier, a huge opportunity to impress coach Mike Tomlin in the remaining preseason games. Frazier will be the Steelers' first rookie starting center since Kendrick Green in 2021.
Zach Frazier has the chance to prove himself as Steelers' starting center
The Injury to Herbig opens the door for rookie Zach Fazier, otherwise known as the Morgantown Mauler, the nickname given to him by Steelers radio color commentator Craig Wolfley as he now to steps into the role of starting center.
Frazier was one of the top five centers in the 2024 NFL draft who, fortunately, fell to the Steelers despite speculation as to whether the Steelers would draft a center if they had the chance. The injury resulted in Frazier playing 75% of the snaps in the preseason game against the Bills, thus giving Mike Tomlin an excellent opportunity to assess his ability.
Frazier is the big 6'3" 313lb center the Steelers drafted from WVU in the 2nd round of this year's NFL draft. He is big and plays a dominating brand of physical football, impressing former Steelers offensive lineman Craig Wolfley and leading to his colorful nickname.
The Herbig injury forces Mike Tomlin to turn to Frazier as the starting center. Perhaps Tomlin had initially hoped to ease Frazier into the starting lineup, but now the Injury to Herbig accelerates that timeline. The good news is that he has impressed Mike Tomlin and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith since coming to the Steelers.
The Steelers drafted Frazier as the eventual heir apparent to Maurkice Pouncy since his retirement. Kendrick Green failed in his bid to be Pouncy's replacement, and Mason Cole was little more than a bandaid replacement until the Steelers found a long-term solution that now appears to be Frazier.
The Steelers have usually done very well when drafting centers. Mike Webster, Dermontti Dawson, and Maurkice Pouncey are examples of that success. Hopefully, Frazier will be the next in line of Hall of Fame-worthy Centers.
Based on what we have seen, Zach Frazier has displayed the potential to be another great center for the Steelers. Time will tell, but it appears he will get his chance much sooner than he or we anticipated. He has talent, and he now has a colorful nickname, also destined for greatness.