The Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line has a lot of potential in 2024. The team has one of the best guard pairings in football in Isaac Seumalo and James Daniels, while Broderick Jones will look to take a step forward in his second season. Currently, the biggest question marks are rookies Zach Frazier and Troy Fautanu, who are fighting for starting jobs at center and right tackle, respectively. Former NFL OL Ross Tucker believes that both Fautanu and Frazier are going to start and play well for the Steelers, whose offensive line he ranked tenth in the NFL.
Tucker wrote that Fautanu and Frazier will bring a “physical edge” back to Pittsburgh
“The Pittsburgh Steelers sent a message to the league when they drafted tackle Troy Fautanu and center Zach Frazier with their first two picks. They aren’t just good players; they are tone-setters who will bring a physical edge back to the Steel City,” Tucker wrote for The 33rd Team.
If Fautanu and Frazier pan out in their rookie season, Pittsburgh’s line is going to probably be pretty good. Pro Football Focus also believes the Steelers will have one of the best offensive lines in the league, and if that winds up being the case, the offense is going to take a step forward. Arthur Smith is going to want to run the ball, and if the line can be a strength for the Steelers, the run game is going to take off.
That’ll also open up the door for more opportunities to work in play-action, another tenet of Smith’s offense, which is going to improve the passing game. Really, the success of Pittsburgh’s offense this season hinges on if their offensive line can play well. The line turned things around in the second half of the season last year after a slow start, but with Pittsburgh’s gauntlet of a second-half schedule, it’s a group that will need to be ready to go by Week 1.
It’s still an open competition at center between Nate Herbig and Frazier, while Fautanu is still fighting for first-team right tackle reps. The Steelers won’t trot either out if they aren’t ready in Week 1, but the hope in drafting them was that they could be plug-and-play starters. Hopefully, that’s the case, and both can raise Pittsburgh’s ceiling this season and improve the offense line as a whole.
