Mason Cole wasn’t the answer. Now, he’s no longer in the building. The Pittsburgh Steelers’ housecleaning continued Friday, the team releasing Cole before he headed into the final year of his three-year contract. Despite a relatively small roster bonus due in March and the team having little center depth, the team cut ties.
Cole was solid in 2022, a clear upgrade over Kendrick Green. And to his credit, Cole was always tough and durable, playing through injuries we probably don’t even fully know about. He was smart, a hard worker, and a leader for one of football’s youngest offenses.
But his play fell off massively in 2023. Right down to his ability to snap, seemingly developing the “yips” he couldn’t overcome. Whatever the reason, he was a weak link along the offensive line and releasing him is a reasonable conclusion.
It leaves the Steelers with bare cupboards at center. Because Cole rarely missed time, it was never even certain who the top backup was. Ostensibly, Nate Herbig, who has primarily played guard throughout his career, picking up some center reps in the summer with the Steelers, though a preseason injury even limited those chances. There’s Spencer Anderson, heading into his second season, but he received fewer center reps in the summer than expected and beyond kneel downs, hasn’t logged an offensive snap. And there’s practice squader Ryan McCollum, who has 100 NFL snaps under his belt with the Detroit Lions, but he’s been unable to crack the 53 the last two seasons.
Even before Cole’s release, center was an obvious Steelers’ need. Part of the team’s “Big Three” list of needs in addition to offensive tackle and cornerback, so long as you put quarterback aside under the assumption the team will roll with Kenny Pickett for another year. With Cole gone, the flashing red light now become a siren.
Signing a veteran is likely. The Steelers probably won’t go into the draft with as little as what they have. It leaves them too vulnerable heading into the weekend, a recipe to panic. Who they sign has a higher chance of being a lower-level name than a slam-dunk starter. More research will be needed to identify that list and it’ll come prior to the start of the new league year three weeks from now. Finding a long-term option will come through the draft and 2024 is a good year to have a need in the middle.
Oregon’s Jackson Powers-Johnson and West Virginia’s Zach Frazier immediately become the top two names associated with Steelers mock drafts. Personally, Frazier feels slightly more likely than Powers-Johnson, but the Steelers will do homework on both. They aren’t the only names that should be discussed but those will be the top two. Powers-Johnson is big and athletic and impressed at the Senior Bowl before getting hurt in practice. Frazier is tough and technically sound, a throwback player the team will love.
The Steelers have a rich history of great centers. Ray Mansfield. Mike Webster. Dermontti Dawson. Maurkice Pouncey. They need to find the next on that list. Expecting a draft pick to become a Hall of Famer is, of course, unreasonable, but they need a rock in the middle who will anchor the offensive line. And it’s difficult to see the team come out of the first two rounds of the draft without a center, who will then become the favorite to start Week 1.
