Steelers rookie to start with Nate Herbig's season officially over

The presumed starting center of the Pittsburgh Steelers 2024 offensive line is done for the season. Nate Herbig, who repped with the first team all of training camp, has landed on injured reserve with a torn rotator cuff.

Multiple reports earlier this week speculated that Herbig would be out for an extended time, though Mike Tomlin awaited a second opinion.

With Herbig sidelined comes an earlier-than-anticipated opportunity for Zach Frazier. The rookie center out of West Virginia has played solid in Herbig’s absence and has been the star of an offensive line that’s started poorly this preseason.

Frazier was on the field for 83 snaps in the Steelers’ first two preseason games and has not allowed a sack in 43 pass plays. According to Joe Rutter of TribLive, Frazier was on the field more than any Steelers offensive or defensive player on Saturday versus the Buffalo Bills. He remained in after Justin Fields replaced Russell Wilson and played eight of the Steelers’ 10 series.

Until a suffering broken leg in the Mountaineer’s final game of the 2023 college football season last November, Frazier was initially projected as a first-round selection.

Frazier will now have the opportunity to show 31 other teams that they were wrong to let him slide.