The Pittsburgh Steelers have suffered a hit to their offensive line. Veteran interior offensive lineman Nate Herbig has suffered a torn rotator cuff and was placed on season-ending injured reserve on Tuesday. Herbig suffered the injury during Pittsburgh's final training camp practice.
Herbig, 26, was in line to be the Steelers' starting center. That job will now be filled by rookie second-round pick Zach Frazier, who made his first career start during Saturday night's preseason loss to the Buffalo Bills. He received a glowing review afterward from veteran quarterback Russell Wilson.
"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," Wilson said, via Sports Illustrated. "Does a guy blink or not? Is he fearful? And he has none of that."
While Frazier appears to be ready, the loss of Herbig is still a considerable one. A six-year veteran, Herbig has 61 regular-season games of experience that include 30 starts. He was in the middle of transitioning over to center after spending most of his first five seasons at guard.
Herbig's injury caps off what has been a rocky few weeks for the Steelers' offensive line, a unit that also lost rookie tackle Troy Fautanu for several weeks after he sustained an injury during Pittsburgh's preseason-opening loss to the Texans.
Pittsburgh's shuffling on the line led to leaky protection of Wilson and Justin Fields during the team's first two preseason games. The Steelers are currently trying to put together their starting five that will likely include Fautanu, Frazier, veteran guards James Daniels and Isaac Seumalo, and second-year tackle Broderick Jones. Five-year offensive tackle Dan Moore Jr. is fighting to keep his spot in the starting lineup.
