With the release of veteran Mason Cole, the Pittsburgh Steelers are left with a giant hole at center. Most likely, the team will add an external player (or two) through free agency or the draft. But internally, the team isn’t discounting the chances of Nate Herbig competing for that spot.
Speaking with reporters on the podium at Thursday’s NFL Combine, Khan mentioned Herbig in discussing the outlook at center.
“We’re looking at everything,” Khan told reporters, including our Steelers Depot team. “We have a need but we have Nate Herbig. And we have some other players that have some flexibility. But we’re gonna look at everything.”
Herbig was ostensibly the backup center last season. But Cole didn’t miss a single snap in 2023, meaning the team never had to make an in-game adjustment. Herbig spent most of his first season in Pittsburgh as a backup but made spot starts at guard, filling in for James Daniels and Isaac Seumalo.
For his career, Herbig has logged only 49 regular-season snaps at center. Last summer, he logged time in the middle of the Steelers’ offensive line, but a late-camp injury limited his preseason reps. He ultimately recorded just 9 snaps at center, all in the preseason opener against Tampa Bay.
As Khan alluded to, Pittsburgh has other potential options. Daniels played center at Iowa, though Khan downplayed the idea of moving him to the pivot. There’s second-year Spencer Anderson, a 2023 seventh round pick who played all five spots during training camp. Another alternative is practice-squader Ryan McCollum, who has 100 career snaps at center, although they came in Detroit instead of Pittsburgh.
Khan’s comments shouldn’t lessen the chances of Pittsburgh making a move at center in the draft. The Steelers are still poised to use one of their first two selections on the position, benefitting from a strong center class. Signing a lower-level free agent as a bridge option until the draft is also sensible. But whoever gets added will be in the mix alongside Herbig, who figures to again do some snapping this upcoming summer.
