Last season while at West Virginia, Pittsburgh Steelers rookie C Zach Frazier literally crawled off the field after breaking his leg, and when he was down on the field in pain in Pittsburgh’s Week 6 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, Steelers fans held their collective breath. It turns out that the surgery to put a plate in his ankle from a college injury prevented a more serious injury, as Mike DeFabo from The Athletic said Frazier told him that he could’ve “easily” broken his ankle if not for the plate.
“Frazier told The Athletic that Dr. James Bradley, the team’s orthopedic surgeon, said if it wasn’t for the plate in his ankle from the college injury, he easily could have broken a bone and ended his season. In that way, the old college injury (and subsequent surgery) now feels like a blessing in disguise,” DeFabo wrote. “Last week, Frazier was in a walking boot and moving around on a scooter. He’s already out of the boot and pushing to play sooner than later.”
It’s fortunate for Frazier and the Steelers, and while the first injury was certainly a devastating one, it saved Frazier from being out for the rest of this season. Instead, he just suffered an ankle sprain in two places, per DeFabo, and there’s a chance that he could only miss two games and return after Pittsburgh’s bye. It was an injury that looked bad, and I think there was some surprise that it wasn’t as bad as it appeared. Now we know at least one reason as to why.
When healthy, Frazier has been one of the best centers in the NFL this season, and looks like a major steal for Pittsburgh, which selected him in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft. The Steelers haven’t had much stability at the center position since Maurkice Pouncey retired, and Frazier looks to be someone who can provide it.
Ryan McCollum has done a good job replacing Frazier, but Frazier was the anchor in the middle of Pittsburgh’s offensive line and getting him back will be huge for the Steelers. While losing him for two games hurts, the Steelers should be thankful that it wasn’t longer, all thanks to Frazier’s previous surgery and the plate in his ankle.
