The Pittsburgh Steelers have had issues with their offensive line this year, but rookie center Zach Frazier has been an absolute stud. Frazier has been as advertised, showing incredible toughness and mauling people on the field. However, he was forced to leave the game against the Las Vegas Raiders with an ankle injury. Thankfully, it doesn’t seem like he’ll miss much time. Ben Roethlisberger believes Frazier actually won’t miss any time at all.
“I would venture to say that he’s gonna tape it up, and he’ll be out there in a cast if he has to,” Roethlisberger said Monday on his podcast, Footbahlin’ with Ben Roethlisberger. “I just feel like he’s that kind of dude, that toughness. I expect him to be out there next week.”
That’s a pretty bold declaration from Roethlisberger. It doesn’t sound like he has any inside knowledge of Frazier’s injury, so it seems like he’s basing that completely off of what he knows about Frazier as a player. That’s not a bad guess, though. If there’s one word to describe Frazier, it would be tough.
Take one look at his final year in college. Unfortunately, Frazier broke his leg during the season, but he managed to crawl off the field to save his team a timeout. It’s an insane display that shows how much heart Frazier has. Luckily, he didn’t need to do anything like that against the Raiders, but it gives credence to Roethlisberger’s theory.
During that same episode, Roethlisberger even stated that he’d be willing to bet Frazier would play in Week 7.
“If I were a betting man, I’d bet that he’ll be out there next week.”
Roethlisberger himself has played through a variety of injuries throughout his long career, so he’s familiar with that mindset. Maybe he’s correct, and Frazier will tough it out and suit up. If he does do that, hopefully, he will not aggravate the injury any further. That’s the last thing the Steelers need.
Backup center Ryan McCollum did fine when he came in for Frazier, but at this point, it’s the lack of continuity that’s really hurting the Steelers’ offensive line. Week 6 was the first time they trotted out the exact same starting offensive line as they did the week before, and then Frazier got hurt. Injuries have decimated them upfront.
Hopefully, Roethlisberger’s confident statement is correct. The Steelers play the New York Jets this week, and they have a ferocious defense. Having Frazier, who’s arguably been their best offensive lineman this year, would be a huge boost. His health is ultimately what’s most important, though. It’s a long season, and the Steelers are really going to need Frazier down the stretch.
