The Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t have a great performance in their first preseason game of the year, but there were some positives. For one, some of the young offensive linemen looked good run blocking. There were some issues with snap exchanges between Justin Fields and Nate Herbig, but Zach Frazier looked good when he came in for Herbig. It seems Frazier feels like the offensive line is starting to form a good, cohesive unit.
Speaking to the media after the game, Frazier was asked if he felt like the physicality in practice translated to the game.
“Yeah, definitely,” Frazier said via a video provided by the Steelers PR department. “Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve definitely gotten closer and closer every practice. Now, I feel like we’re jelling. Still always can get better, but I feel like the communication was pretty good and we were all on the same page.”
On a first viewing, that seemed to mostly be true. The offensive line was doing a good job in the run game, although it felt like it was lacking in pass protection at times. For rookie linemen like Frazier and Mason McCormick though, that was to be expected. Coming out of college, they were known more for their ability to be road graders than flawless pass protectors.
That seems to be what the identity of this offense will be this year, so that’s an encouraging sign. It’s been apparent that these rookie linemen have bonded well since being drafted in April, which makes it no surprise when that chemistry translates to the field. Like Frazier said though, they definitely still need to improve, but they looked capable in certain aspects of their game.
Going forward, hopefully they become the strength of this team. Having a good offensive line makes so many other parts of the game so much easier. Troy Fautanu seems to be dealing with an injury, but the severity is still unknown. With any luck, he’ll be able to get more practice and reps before the season starts to continue helping the offensive line jell.
