With Pittsburgh Steelers C Zach Frazier out for tonight’s game against the New York Jets, Ryan McCollum is slated to make his first start for the Steelers tonight. McCollum has been on Pittsburgh’s practice squad for the majority of the last two seasons, and Mike Tomlin said he’s excited for McCollum to get his opportunity tonight.
“He is, and has always been, extremely locked in and mature in a football sense. It is important to him, and I’m really excited about this opportunity for him,” Tomlin told Bob Labriola of Steelers.com.
Tomlin also compared Ryan McCollum’s situation to J.C. Hassenauer stepping in as Pittsburgh’s starting center in Week 17 of 2022, a game in which Najee Harris took off with 188 yards on the ground.
“And really, as we leaned in on this week, I talked to him about another guy who had a similar journey for us. We had a practice squad center a number of years ago, J.C. Hassenauer, and in 2021, late in the season, he had an opportunity to get elevated and start. We were playing Cleveland, I think, in Week 17, and Najee ran for 188 yards.”
It’s not an ideal situation for the Steelers, as Frazier has been one of the best centers in the league so far this season. Yet, another offensive line injury only serves to hurt Pittsburgh, especially with a change at quarterback to Russell Wilson, who has less mobility than Fields. It’s not great to have to start a backup center for a team that’s already starting a backup guard and Broderick Jones, who’s struggled mightily this year.
But we saw the Steelers’ run game explode with Hassenauer and John Leglue in that game against the Browns at the end of the 2022 season. Harris is coming off a big game against the Las Vegas Raiders, where he ran for 106 yards on 14 carries and scored his first rushing touchdown of the season. His longest run of the day came with Ryan McCollum in at center. If he can carry that momentum over against the Jets, the Steelers could wind up having another strong performance on the ground with a backup center.
It’s a tall task to ask Ryan McCollum to play up to Frazier’s standard, but he’s someone who Tomlin seems to have a lot of faith in, and his teammates have sung his praises as well. It’s a big opportunity for him in a primetime game, and Harris’ big day with Hassenauer leading the charge was also a primetime matchup on Monday Night Football. There will be plenty of eyes on Ryan McCollum tonight, and we’ll see if he can deliver.
