The Pittsburgh Steelers keep invoking the name of Nate Herbig whenever their lack of a center comes up. Signed as an unrestricted free agent in 2023, Herbig has over 2,000 snaps under his belt, of which about 50 have come at center.
Given that reality, it’s hard to ascertain how serious the Steelers are about the potential of him starting. Obviously, they intend to replace Mason Cole with a starter-quality player, at this point likely through the draft. But if they don’t land their center of choice this month, can they ride with Herbig? Ray Fittipaldo believes that they can, in the short term.
“I don’t think Herbig would necessarily have to play a full year, but I think he’s a guy who could fill in for half a year or maybe 4-8 games, whatever they would need him to do until that rookie center was ready”, he said on 93.7 The Fan yesterday.
A college free agent in 2019 out of Stanford, Herbig spent most of his career with the Philadelphia Eagles. There, he played behind Jason Kelce, who hardly missed snap, so no surprise he played little center. In 2022, he spent the year with the New York Jets, starting two games as a reserve at guard.
The Steelers signed Herbig to a two-year, $8 million contract, and at the time, many expected him to be in play for a starting guard job. After they signed Isaac Seumalo shortly after, that idea quickly shifted, but they are paying him well as a reserve. He is earning a base salary of $4 million this season.
While Fittipaldo believes the Steelers could get away with Herbig starting at center for a little while, he also believes they’re committed to finding an alternative. “I don’t think that there’s any doubt that they’re gonna get a center in this draft”, he said. “It’s just hard for me to predict when. It’s such a strong tackle class, you almost want to take advantage of that depth”.
He also suggested that the center position has some depth as well as an alternative to Herbig. Still, he questions who will be available in the second and third rounds, expecting a tackle in the first. “It’s a dilemma for the Steelers, but whether it’s a tackle or a center in that first round, I just feel really good about upgrading my offensive line”.
Pittsburgh waited until the third round to address the position in 2021 after Maurkice Pouncey retired. They landed on Kendrick Green, whom they started right away, which did not go well at all. That they traded him just two years later says what you need to know about that.
A year after drafting Green, they signed Cole to a three-year, nearly $16 million contract. He played reasonably well in 2022, even through injury, but took a significant step back last year. As a result, they elected to release him earlier this offseason. And now they’re left with Herbig as their most realistic option, barring moving James Daniels over.
Cole remains unsigned, however, several weeks after his release. Many Steelers fans wonder if they may end up re-signing him in the long run, even as the backup center. If they do, however, the contract will look a lot more team friendly. Less than what Nate Herbig is under contract for.
