Nate Herbig didn’t set out to take over the center position this offseason for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He didn’t make them release their starting center and talk him up as a legitimate replacement. Yet even with a rookie second-round pick in the building, that’s where he currently finds himself. The opportunity is in front of him, if he can claim it.
“I just showed up and that’s where they put me”, Herbig told reporters, via the team’s website, about playing center. Primarily a guard throughout his career, Herbig has also been a reserve center, including last year in Pittsburgh. For most of his career, he backed up Jason Kelce in Philadelphia, who never got hurt.
Now with no incumbent starter, however, Herbig is getting plenty of snaps at center along with rookie Zach Frazier. But he’s not focusing on the long-term goal of claiming the starting job of his own. He’s keeping the focus right in front of him, and it’s bearing fruit. Isaac Seumalo sees it.
“I feel like I’m getting better every day”, Herbig said, also discussing areas in which he has aimed to improve. Watching his interview yesterday, I saw a very motivated individual who recognizes the opportunity in front of him. I’ve never seen him speak more intently, deviating only when talking about an o-line lunch hosted by the quarterbacks.
“I’m still working on it because I’m fat, but I’m working on my body [composition]”, Herbig pointed out with humility. “Really cleaning up my eating, really dialed in on that. My footwork, I feel, has gotten faster. The game’s slowing down for me. Just trying to take another step in my career. Trying to continue to prove myself right and prove people wrong”.
A former college free agent, Herbig has spent most of his career as a backup. He has still logged 30 starts over the past five years and 2,239 offensive snaps. Two starts came last season with the Steelers at guard due to injury, but he only has a few dozen career snaps at center. Now there’s a starting job open where he has hardly played.
“I always wanted to start in the NFL”, Herbig admitted. “I always wanted to play. I’m not even thinking that. I don’t have that mindset that I’m starting anywhere. I don’t try to act that way. I don’t think that way. I’m just literally, one draw at a time, one play at a time”.
Herbig understands why the Steelers drafted Frazier in the second round, however. The odds are the rookie starts over him if he proves that he can handle the job right away. But if Herbig can show that he is the better man for the job right now, he has a chance. It’s his only chance to start, and the most legitimate one he has had in years.
