The Pittsburgh Steelers will reportedly be without offensive lineman Nate Herbig for a while, and quite possibly for the entire 2024 season.
According to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Herbig is dealing with a torn rotator cuff and could miss the entire season. At bare bones minimum, he is going to miss significant time.
Herbig suffered the injury in practice prior to the preseason Week 2 game against the Buffalo Bills. His extended absence will fully pave the way for rookie center Zach Frazier to secure the starting job moving forward.
Herbig was ahead in the center competition early on in training camp, but Frazier has come on strong in recent weeks. He followed up a very strong showing in preseason Week 1 with yet another in preseason Week 2 and had, at the very least, closed the gap.
Frazier didn't give up any pressures against the Bills on Saturday night and was tied for the third-best pass-blocking grade (82.3), per Pro Football Focus. Frazier's run-blocking grade wasn't so hot (45.7) but he more than held his own there.
Herbig originally signed with the Steelers in 2023 and played a backup role, making just two starts in 17 games. It'll be interesting to see if the Steelers place him on IR before or after final cuts. If it's after, that means they expect him to be back this season.