Zach Frazier may be the only rookie to start the opener for the Steelers. While the team has its initial 53-man roster, the Steelers don’t yet have an initial starting lineup. The good news is that it’s not very hard to predict, though. The only variations revolve around certain players’ health.
We now know that Russell Wilson will start at quarterback, but could Justin Fields also play? That’s another debate that has yet to be settled, but Frazier needs to be prepared to snap to anybody back there.
Despite a botched snap in the preseason finale due to a miscommunication, however, Fields remains very confident in Frazier and predicts that he will find a settled place in the starting lineup. He spoke about the rookie Tuesday on cutdown day via the team’s website.
“Zach [Frazier]’s been great,” Fields said. “He’s one of the hardest workers we have. He’s humble, hardworking, smart, too. When you have all those intangibles in a rookie, especially an important position like center, it’s great to see. I’m excited to see what he does this season. I know he’s gonna impress and do his thing.”
Frazier was the proverbial last man standing after Nate Herbig suffered a shoulder injury. The Steelers placed Herbig on the Reserve/Injured List with no return designation, so Frazier has to start. If anything, they are trying to figure out who their backup center might be.
A rookie second-round pick out of West Virginia, Frazier has extensive starting experience at center at the college level. He spent most of the offseason working with the second-team offense but began moving up during training camp. Due to Herbig’s injury before the second preseason game, he has consistently run with the starters for weeks.
Every metric seems to indicate that he is doing well, too. Pro Football Focus graded him well, and his reviews are good across the board. He certainly seems a lot more ready to be a starter than Kendrick Green was a few years ago.
The Steelers have invested in the offensive line in the last few years. Especially in the last two, they have focused on the draft, taking linemen with their last two first-round picks. The Steelers doubled up on linemen with their first two picks in 2024, Frazier following Troy Fautanu in Round 2.
As mentioned earlier, health will help determine the starting lineup. There are some indications that the Steelers intended to start Fautanu for the season opener, but he is still recovering from a knee injury. Once he does crack the lineup, he and Frazier will make up 40 percent of the line as rookies. And Broderick Jones — assuming he starts — is only in his second season.
