Steelers OL Nate Herbig Could Potentially Miss Entire Season After Suffering Torn Rotator Cuff

The Pittsburgh Steelers are still deciding which quarterback will be the starter between Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, but the team now has a much more difficult situation to deal with. The team’s potential starting center could be sidelined for all of 2024 with a torn rotator cuff.

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According to Ari Meirov, center Nate Herbig tore his rotator cuff and is expected to miss “significant time.” That time might also be the entire 2024 season depending on the severity of the injury.

The injury occurred last week, and head coach Mike Tomlin addressed Herbig’s status to reporters on Sunday.

“Nate’s got an injury that’s being continually evaluated,” Tomlin said when asked about Herbig’s status postgame. “I think he’s getting a second opinion. I want to wait to that. I’ll give you guys some information probably the next time we come together, but I was largely satisfied with the work that I saw from Zach.”

Losing Herbig is a big loss for the Steelers, but the good news is they already have a replacement in mind. Rookie center Zach Frazier is set to step in and handle starting duties, and he has already been impressing Tomlin through training camp.

Frazier was taken No. 51 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft out of West Virginia. Frazier became the first offensive lineman in 40 years to become a day-one starter for the college as a true freshman.

Chase Behrndt would return, and Frazier would then move to guard. While playing guard, he did not allow a sack in nine games, leading to a first-team Freshman All-American honor. He was also an honorable mention for the All-Big 12 team.

Frazier continued to rack up accomplishments in college, and would then set his sights on the NFL. The Steelers would come calling in the second round, and the investment appears to already be paying off.

Though having a veteran like Herbig as a starter or potential direct backup to Frazier, Frazier has been making his presence known throughout training camp.

The good news is the Steelers have depth at the center position behind Frazier with Ryan McCollum and Anderson Hardy. Though both might still be vying for roster spots when the cutdowns begin, they might also benefit from Herbig being injured to ensure they make it on the 53-man roster.

Protecting Fields or Wilson will be paramount for the offensive attack in 2024, and losing Herbig for the season is still going to affect the team greatly.