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Report: Steelers Center Suffers Season-Ending Injury

The Pittsburgh Steelers have lost one of their starting center competitors to a shoulder injury.

Noah Strackbein

Nov 12, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers guard Nate Herbig (71) takes the field against the Green Bay Packers at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 12, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers guard Nate Herbig (71) takes the field against the Green Bay Packers at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
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PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers may have lost center Nate Herbig for the entire 2024 season after the competing starter suffered a torn rotator cuff, according to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Gerry Dulac.

Herbig suffered an injury during the final week of training camp practice and missed the team's second preseason game. Head coach Mike Tomlin said after the game that Herbig would get a second opinion on the injury but that he could be sidelined for awhile. Now, it's a confirmed tear, and according to Dulac, it may lead to him missing the season.

Herbig has been competing with second-round rookie Nate Herbig for the starting job this season. After signing with the team last spring and spending the 2023 season as Mason Cole's backup and the team's swing guard, Herbig was given an opportunity to earn a starting job this season, and spent almost all of the summer taking first-team reps before the injury.

With Herbig out, the team turns to Frazier, who started and impressed in the team's preseason loss to the Buffalo Bills.

"He went against a really good front tonight; they do a good job," quarterback Russell Wilson said about Frazier's performance. "And I thought he handled it well. I thought he was composed. He didn't blink.

"Anytime you're playing with a rookie center, you're playing with younger players, it's the eye contact in the huddle that you see. Does a guy blink or not? Is he fearful? And he has none of that."

Frazier was the team's second-round pick out of West Virginia and has impressed throughout training camp and the preseason. He was expected to eventually take over as the starter, but that time has come a little faster than anticipated.

As for his backup, the team now turns to Spencer Anderson and Mason McCormick to work behind Frazier. James Daniels also has experience playing center.

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Noah Strackbein

NOAH STRACKBEIN

Noah is the Publisher for All Steelers, Inside the Panthers (InsideThePanthers.com) and Inside the Penguins (InsidethePenguins.com), and is the host of All Steelers Talk (YouTube.com/AllSteelersTalk). A Scranton native, Noah made his way to the Pittsburgh sports scene in 2017. Now, he's pretty much full-yinzer.

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