When C Zach Frazier went down with an ankle injury, it was another blow to a Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line that’s been decimated with injuries this season. Ryan McCollum, who hadn’t started a game since 2021, stepped in, and so far, McCollum has held his own and helped Pittsburgh’s offensive line not feel much of a drop-off without Frazier. QB Russell Wilson praised McCollum during his media session Thursday and said he’s a “true pro.”
“People have not talked about Ryan enough. I haven’t, at least. I feel like he’s just done a tremendous job to step in for Zach,” Wilson said via SteelersLive on Twitter. “But also too, he’s been leading in such a way, one of the things that always shows a true pro to me is when the guy’s not playing, is he still leading? How’s he teaching and how’s he coaching and how’s he helping? And he’s been great with Zach all year so far, and when Zach went down, it was like nothing. It was all that confidence, all that hard work, really stepped up. And I think he’s a tremendous center. He’s a guy that’s gonna play in the league for a long time.”
McCollum’s performance has been huge for the Steelers, who only allowed one sack (which was Broderick Jones’ fault) and ran for 149 yards in his second career start against the New York Jets in Week 7, a game the Steelers won 37-15. The team clearly saw something in him since it kept him on the practice squad for the majority of the last two seasons, and he cracked the 53-man roster this season after Nate Herbig went down for the season with an injury.
It was a little bit of a surprise to keep McCollum on the 53-man roster this year, but the Steelers needed a true backup center. It’s a decision that’s paid off, especially after Frazier went down with an ankle injury. McCollum is going to have a tough matchup this week against Giants DT Dexter Lawrence, who leads the league in sacks, and Mike Tomlin acknowledged that it won’t be easy for McCollum.
But if he can play the way he has over the last two games, the Steelers should feel fairly comfortable with him. Lawrence is probably going to have some measure of success no matter who’s at center, but McCollum’s play has helped the Steelers maintain some consistency since Frazier’s injury.
He has been a pleasant surprise, and it seems as if his quarterback has been a big fan of what he’s brought to the table. Hopefully, his level of play can continue until Frazier returns.
