'Increased Workload' for Steelers' Frazier, Says Tomlin

Pittsburgh Steelers rookie center Zach Frazier has been expected to start for Week 1’s festivities since he was drafted in the second round.

However, he hasn’t been getting the first-team reps most would expect from an early starter and he didn’t start in Friday’s preseason loss to the Houston Texans.

Should fans be expected to see him starting between guards Isaac Seumalo and James Daniels?

Head coach Mike Tomlin recently spoke about Frazier’s summer and how the Steelers are managing him as the regular season nears.

“He’s one of the guys I’m talking about,” Tomlin said, via Mike Asti . “He was in the stadium on Friday. He’s got that in-stadium exposure. So it’s reasonable to expect him to be significantly better. Next week we are going to position him to do so with an increased workload.”

Frazier’s stalled promotion isn’t necessarily concerning or surprising. Pittsburgh is known to make rookies earn their keep. First-round rookie tackle Troy Fautanu isn’t guaranteed a gig, and 2023 first-round pick Broderick Jones is still fighting for a starting job in Year 2.

Still, Frazier played exceptionally well in Friday’s 20-12 loss. He was among the Steelers’ highest-graded offensive linemen per Pro Football Focus and looked better than starting center Nate Herbig – a difference exacerbated by two fumbled snaps. Headlining the second-team unit, Frazier stood out against lower-level competition, doing everything in his power to earn playing time against better opponents.

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In turn, Pittsburgh gave Frazier first-team reps at Sunday’s practice.

The job isn’t quite his yet, but his draft capital, summer performance, and recent momentum has the arrow pointing in the right direction. The Steelers want to put the best five linemen out there for Week 1, and Frazier figures to be firmly entrenched among the first-team unit, even if the ramp-up process hasn’t progressed as quickly as some anticipated.