The Pittsburgh Steelers lost stud rookie C Zach Frazier to an ankle injury late in the third quarter yesterday. While they soldiered on ably without him for the final 20 minutes, the question is when they get him back. After the Steelers’ 32-13 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, though, nobody sounded overly panicked, head coach Mike Tomlin speaking briefly and matter-of-factly. His teammate, LT Dan Moore Jr., didn’t make it sound like a long-term issue, either.
“Hopefully, I’m expecting it to be nothing serious”, he said of the ankle injury Frazier suffered, via Joe Rutter writing for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “We have a deep group. Ryan [McCollum] came in and was more than capable. We didn’t miss a beat”.
Prior to Sunday, McCollum had played just one snap for the Steelers in Week 4 after James Daniels’ injury. They needed an extra blocker, and he hadn’t prepared for that role, and he whiffed on a fourth-down quarterback keeper. But he played better at center filling in for Frazier, to his credit.
The Steelers didn’t release much video from Moore’s postgame locker room session, so it’s hard to gauge tone merely from a transcribed quote. And if you look around, you will see another variation of this same quote transcribed differently, in case you want to feel comfort in the level of rigor journalists take in accurately quoting people. But with what we have available, there seems to be optimism that Frazier won’t miss much time.
The Steelers used three draft picks on offensive lineman this year, with first-round T Troy Fautanu already on IR. Second-round C Zach Frazier is now injured, having played every snap of the season up to his ankle injury. More recently, fourth-round G Mason McCormick entered the starting lineup in Daniels’ place due to injury.
“I love Zach. I feel bad for him”, McCormick said, via the Steelers’ website. “I don’t know exactly what it is. I know he’s tough and he’ll bounce back.” He also expressed confidence in McCollum. “We trust Ryan. Obviously, we’re going to miss Zach. Ryan will step in and do great”.
The Steelers entered the offseason with great offensive line depth, but the injury bug has bitten them hard. They already have two starters out for the year in Daniels and Fautanu, and Nate Herbig is another significant piece out for 2024 because of an injury. Herbig was competing with Zach Frazier for the starting center job, and he would have been the top backup. Even Dylan Cook is on the Reserve/Injured List, though he is eligible to return once he resumes practicing.
Starting Ryan McCollum would obviously not be ideal, but things could be worse. Even losing Fautanu, the Steelers still have Broderick Jones, who is talented if not flawless. McCormick is stepping up, on the whole, in Daniels’ absence. But how long can they withstand yet another blow? Frazier was arguably their most stable, even best, lineman this year.
