Coming into training camp, the interior of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive line looked very strong, following the drafting of Zach Frazier and Mason McCormick. Putting that rookie duo alongside the likes of Isaac Seumalo, James Daniels, Nate Herbig and Spencer Anderson really gave the Steelers a real boost at an area of need.
One could have argued that the interior was a strength for the Steelers regardless of how the starting lineup shook out ahead of the 2024 season, whether that was Herbig as the starting center or Frazier.
Frazier is now the starting center for the Steelers following the loss of Herbig for the season due to a torn rotator cuff that landed him on Injured Reserve earlier this week. While it’s ultimately what many wanted, seeing Frazier in the starting lineup, it coming at the cost of a season-ending injury to Herbig is a big blow for the Steelers.
Now, with no Herbig, depth is a real concern, especially at center.
While Anderson has experience at center and was a name that I didn’t want to forget about in the offseason at the center position prior to the draft, him being your potential No. 2 center behind a rookie isn’t all that comforting. Same for McCormick, who had a good camp and has impressed in the preseason.
The Steelers worked McCormick out at center coming out of South Dakota State, but he had just 15 career snaps there. Asking him to be a backup center as a rookie might be too much, though the Steelers are increasing his work at center during practices after not seeing any time at the position in training camp.
A recent conversation regarding the backup center position from Dave Bryan and Alex Kozora on an episode of The Terrible Podcast earlier this week got the gears turning in my head and started to create even more concern regarding backup center for the Black and Gold entering the 2024 season.
Chances are, we’ll see both Anderson and McCormick get snaps Saturday against the Detroit Lions at center along with veteran practice squad player Ryan McCollum. But the three of them have a combined 288 snaps at center in the NFL, including preseason and regular season.
While the Steelers might like Anderson a great deal and seem very pleased with McCormick’s transition to the NFL overall, they would be wise to add a dependable veteran to the roster following final cuts as a true backup center. Former Steeler J.C. Hassenauer, who was just released by the Washington Commanders Friday morning, comes to mind as does Denver’s Sam Mustipher, two guys who could be back out on the street following final cuts.
Both have plenty of NFL experience and are dependable. They might not move the needle, but they can be counted on in an NFL game at the pivot if needed. In fact, Hassenauer played 477 snaps at center across three seasons for the Steelers from 2020-2022, along with another 147 at left guard for the Black and Gold.
We can’t exactly say the same for Anderson and McCormick right now, let alone McCollum.
That’s not to say that they can’t, but that feels like a big ask right now to be the next man up behind Frazier. Adding a veteran with experience would be a wise move and would be a nice security blanket for the Black and Gold in the trenches, at least early in the season.
Worst-case scenario, you can move on from the veteran later in the season if the younger pieces are performing well in practices at center. But right now, things are rather concerning behind Frazier in his rookie season. The Steelers could be just one injury away from Anderson, McCormick of McCollum being their starting center.
They can’t enter the regular season with the depth chart looking that way, not behind a rookie, period.
