Steelers Place Starting Center on IR

The Pittsburgh Steelers' starting center is officially out for the season.

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

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers will have to navigate the 2024 season without their starting center as Nate Herbig was placed on the reserve/injured list on Tuesday afternoon with a torn rotator cuff.

Herbig suffered the injury during the final day of training camp last Wednesday. He had established himself as the starter after the Steelers cut Mason Cole in February, leading to him spending all of camp practicing with the first-team offense.

Ahead of Pittsburgh's preseason matchup against the Buffalo Bills last Saturday, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that Herbig's injury was significant and would cause him to miss significant time. He expanded on that news on Sunday by communicating that Herbig had torn his rotator cuff and would likely be out for the rest of the season.

Herbig's move to the reserve/injured list ahead of the 53-man roster cutdown means that he will not be eligible to return for Pittsburgh this year. He is set to hit free agency next offseason after signing a two-year, $8 million deal with the Steelers last March.

As a result, rookie second-round pick Zach Frazier will likely step in as the full-time starter after appearing in that role against the Bills and performing admirably, which drew praise from Russell Wilson. The 22-year-old played for four years at West Virginia and was a two-time All-American ('21, '23) while starting 46 games for the Mountaineers.

Herbig played in all 17 games for the Steelers last season, though he only received snaps along the offensive line in three of them. He started for an injured James Daniels in Weeks 3 and 4 at right guard against the Las Vegas Raiders and Houston Texans, respectively, while replacing Isaac Seumalo at left guard in Week 13 against the Arizona Cardinals when he left with a shoulder injury.

The Steelers could now be on the lookout for external help behind Frazier at center on either the waiver wire or free agent market before the regular season begins. Ryan McCollum and Anderson Handy are currently listed as the third- and fourth-string options, respectively, at the position according to the team's official depth chart.

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