Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers have traditionally been careful with how fast they bring rookies along. That is one of the reasons that the team’s top two draft picks, OT Troy Fautanu and C Zach Frazier, have received limited reps with the first-team offense so far through 11 practices of training camp. Fautanu just got his first full day of work as the first-team right tackle during Tuesday’s practice, but Frazier has largely been working with the second-team unit behind Nate Herbig on the depth chart.
With training camp about halfway through and the first preseason game approaching on Friday, when will the rookies have those opportunities? Tomlin was asked specifically about Frazier and when he might start to receive first-team reps.
“Those opportunities are coming, not only for him but for everyone,” Tomlin said via the Steelers’ YouTube channel in a press conference ahead of Friday’s preseason game. “A lot of it, the speed in which it occurs, depends on how you perform against those that you are competing against. You guys [have] seen Troy has gotten some opportunities because he’s handled some of his other opportunities. And Zach’s done a nice job, and I’m sure some one opportunities are coming his way.”
Herbig has played some center throughout his NFL career, but he has largely been a guard. In total, he has played 49 center snaps in the regular season at the NFL level. Frazier enters the NFL with 2,606 center snaps coming out of college. So Herbig has the leg up in terms of knowing what OL coach Pat Meyer wants and being a five-year veteran of the NFL, but center is a much more natural position for Frazier than it is for Herbig at this point.
That being said, Tomlin doesn’t view Herbig as being inexperienced in that area at all.
“Herbig’s got experience at the position,” Tomlin said. I wouldn’t say it’s new to him. He’s done it in the NFL. He’s got starter experience at the position on other teams in the NFL. So, I don’t know how I would describe him as inexperienced in it.”
In referencing the quarterback competition, Tomlin said that performance in preseason games is weighted more than practice performance because it is closer to a game-like setting. With that in mind, Zach Frazier should get plenty of work with the second-team offense on Friday. That should be a good setting for him to stand out against lesser competition. If he does, then we could start to see him working first-team reps in practice as early as next week.
