When the Pittsburgh Steelers signed OL Nate Herbig in March, it was assumed he would battle Kevin Dotson for the starting left guard spot. Those plans changed when the team added Isaac Seumalo in free agency, and it left Herbig’s role as being good depth across a few offensive line positions. But with Pittsburgh’s backup center spot unsettled, Herbig has a chance to emerge as the main candidate there.
This offseason, Omar Khan did a great job revamping Pittsburgh’s roster, add competition and tieing up almost every loose end the team had. But the center position wasn’t addressed. Heading into camp Ryan McCollum and Kendrick Green seemed to be the top options, but neither inspires a ton of confidence. McCollum spent last season mostly on the practice squad after starting one game at center for the 2021 Detroit Lions, while Green was a mess as Pittsburgh’s starting center for much of the 2021 season.
James Daniels and Isaac Seumalo both have center experience, but I find it highly unlikely one of them would kick over to center in the event something happens to Mason Cole. That leaves Herbig as one of the most intriguing, and maybe the best option.
He took 47 of his 49 NFL snaps at center last season as a member of the New York Jets, and he also got work snapping during practice on Sunday. There was a lot of shuffling along the offensive line, and allowing guys to get work in at different spots helps Pittsburgh expand its options, and Herbig at center could be something that comes to fruition.
If the Steelers can’t get anything good for him via trade, they could just hang onto Dotson, and while Herbig and Dotson can co-exist the team doesn’t need multiple good guard backups. Thus, expanding Herbig into someone who can play center in the event Cole goes down makes sense. I’d like to see him keep getting snaps when he can throughout camp, because if Herbig can emerge as a legitimate center option, the Steelers’ offensive line depth will look a whole lot stronger.
It’s obviously no sure thing, and maybe they see something in McCollum or see enough progression in Green to feel comfortable with one of them as their backup. But given their past bodies of work, if Herbig can get comfortable snapping the ball and being the anchor of the offensive line, he would make the most sense as the best pure blocker. I think Herbig is a legitimate option to take over the backup center spot if the Steelers aren’t liking what they see out of McCollum or Green.
There’s still a lot of camp left, but it’s an intriguing possibility to think about it. Expanding Herbig’s positional versatility makes him a more valuable player for the Steelers and makes their line stronger. There’s a chance he never sees another center snap the rest of camp and the point is moot, but that would be a little bit of surprise given he saw some on Sunday. Herbig as the backup center could turn out to be Pittsburgh’s best option.
