Former Pittsburgh Steelers’ center J.C. Hassenauer will be out for the foreseeable future and potentially the entire 2023 season after tearing his triceps while practicing with the New York Giants. That news comes via Giants’ head coach Brian Daboll and The Daily News, which reported the information Monday afternoon.
From The Daily News:
“Backup Giants center J.C. Hassenauer tore his triceps and will require surgery, ruling him out for the long term, coach Brian Daboll said Monday.”
A restricted free agent, Pittsburgh did not tender Hassenauer this offseason and he signed with the Giants. It was a one-year deal with the team. According to the paper, he had been working as the team’s second-string center. The injury reportedly happened during a drill where Hassenauer was seen shaking his arm, exiting practice and not returning.
Per The Daily News, Hassenauer’s deal has a split salary that drops his base pay to $525,000. He’s most likely to be waived/injured and then revert to injured reserve, assuming he’s not claimed. The team could also carry him and place him on the initial 53-man roster before placing him on IR, opening up the chance he could return later in the year.
An undrafted free agent, he appeared in 45 games for the Steelers from 2020 to 2022. Most of his time came as a reserve but he started four games in 2020 and three in 2021, the latter replacing the injured and struggling Kendrick Green. Last season, the Steelers’ offensive line stayed healthy and Hassenauer logged only 46 offensive snaps, most coming in a second half matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Throughout his Steelers’ career, he logged 627 total offensive snaps.
With Hassenauer gone, the Steelers have had an internal battle for the top backup center spot behind Mason Cole. Ryan McCollum, Nate Herbig, and Green have all taken snaps these this summer with Green seeing the bulk of the second-team work. Rookie Spencer Anderson is another possibility, though he has not snapped since camp began last week. At the start of camp, GM Omar Khan expressed confidence in the team’s internal candidates. Still, if they struggle, it would make sense for Pittsburgh to consider outside options.
UPDATE: Hassenauer placed on IR and his season is now over with.
