Player: iOL Nate Herbig
Stock Value: Up
Reasoning: At least for the time being, Nate Herbig is the Steelers’ starting center. Of course, they aren’t playing a game for another four months, but after releasing Mason Cole, he’s the only option. They have James Daniels, but he’s a starting guard and they don’t want to move him. Chances are by the start of the season they have a different starting center, but for now, he’s the starter.
Steelers fans are not exactly jumping for joy whenever they hear Nate Herbig’s name these days. Even though they wanted the Steelers to release Mason Cole, they weren’t counting on Herbig as the possible alternative.
At least for the time being, Herbig is the guy the Steelers are mentioning by name when discussing their options at center, before the draft anyway. They did kick the tires on Mitch Morse, but since then they’ve shown no interest in a veteran center.
They seem set on landing one in the 2024 NFL Draft, but things have to fall the right way. Reportedly, they have their sights set on Jackson Powers-Johnson, Zach Frazier or Graham Barton, but they’re promised none of them. Nate Herbig is the bird in the hand.
Even if the Steelers do draft one of these centers, they can’t guarantee any is a plug-and-play starter. It’s possible that Herbig begins the season in the starting lineup until a rookie is ready. Or perhaps he ends up being the starter for the entire season.
The thing is, he doesn’t have much experience playing center in games that count. But he’s practiced at the position a lot in the offseason and in preseason games. He may get a long look there this August to see if they’re comfortable with him handling it.
At the very least, Herbig’s likely to end up the backup center once again, and he’s still the next man up at guard. He’s earning $4 million either way for his troubles.
As the season progresses, Steelers players’ stocks rise and fall. The nature of the evaluation differs with the time of year, with in-season considerations being more often short-term. Considerations in the offseason often have broader implications, particularly when players lose their jobs, or the team signs someone. This time of year is full of transactions, whether minor or major.
A bad game, a new contract, an injury, a promotion—any number of things affect a player’s value. Think of it as a stock on the market, based on speculation. You’ll feel better about a player after a good game, or worse after a bad one. Some stock updates are minor, while others are likely to be quite drastic, so bear in mind the degree. I’ll do my best to explain the nature of that in the reasoning section of each column.
