There’s a reason the Pittsburgh Steelers are so thankful for Zach Frazier. Since training camp, they’ve had to deal with a spate of injuries along the offensive line. Left guard Isaac Seumalo has missed the first four games of the season due to a pec injury. Center Nate Herbig suffered a season-ending rotator cuff injury during training camp. In addition, Pittsburgh’s first-round pick in April, offensive tackle Troy Fautanu, suffered a knee injury that will sideline him for at least the rest of the regular season.
As if things couldn’t get worse, the Steelers learned this week that right guard James Daniels will miss the rest of the season with a torn Achilles.
Despite the injuries up front, the Steelers own an AFC North-leading 3-1 record. Part of the reason for that has been rookie center Zach Frazier. He’s a stabilizing force in the middle of the line, which Pittsburgh desperately needs at this point in the season.
Frazier has been so impressive that he’s starting to hear his name floated in Offensive Rookie of the Year conversations. On Wednesday’s episode of the Pro Football Focus NFL Show, Trevor Sikkema and Jon Ledyard both gave Frazier some love. Each analyst had Frazier slotted in their top three in terms of the rookies most likely to win the award.
“I think that he is having a fantastic season and it’s not getting a lot of light,” Sikkema said. “For him to step into the offensive line play at the NFL level and look as good as he has has been unbelievable.”
Frazier became a starter on short notice. That’s what Sikkema is alluding to here, as Herbig suffered his injury toward the end of training camp. Since stepping into the starting role, Frazier is as reliable as he could possibly be for Pittsburgh. Through four games, Frazier has been on the field for 100 percent of the team’s offensive snaps.
Ledyard had Frazier and New York Giants rookie WR Malik Nabers essentially tied. He gave both some compliments of his own.
“I’ve watched all their snaps think they’ve been outstanding in all four games,” Ledyard said. More specific to Frazier, Ledyard credited him for playing like one of the best centers in the league already. “I haven’t seen anybody beat him one [on] one this season in pass protection. And he’s one of the best run-blocking centers in the league already. He’s fourth highest-graded center in the NFL per PFF.”
It’s nice to see Frazier get some credit from the media, and he absolutely deserves it. With all the uncertainty that surrounds the Steelers’ offensive line, having Frazier play at such an excellent level to start his career has been extremely important. For the Steelers to continue their run to what they hope are the playoffs, and maybe even a division title, they’ll need him to continue playing at such a high level. Fortunately, it looks like he’ll continue to do that.
