PITTSBURGH — When Zach Frazier was a young kid in Fairmont, W.Va., a teacher assigned the class a project: Write down on a piece of paper what you want to be when you grow up.
Frazier, who grew up with a father who played center in college and a mother whose family was full of state champion wrestlers, scribbled that he wanted to be an NFL football player. He didn’t talk about his dream publicly, but he kept that piece of paper in his childhood bedroom and looked at it often over the years to remind him of his mission.
Sunday in Atlanta, that vision became a reality.
“I definitely had some butterflies,” Frazier said following the 18-10 victory. “It’s everything you dreamed about as a kid to go out there for that first snap… Of course, first snap was fumbled.”
Yeah, about that…
In the very first play, Frazier and quarterback Justin Fields muffled the exchange. It wasn’t exactly the best way to begin a career. Fortunately for Frazier, Fields recovered — and so would Frazier.
While the rookie center wasn’t perfect, his performance on Sunday jumped off the film.
In 29 pass protection snaps, he allowed no pressures, no QB hits, no hurries and no sacks, according to Pro Football Focus. His performance in the run game was even more eye-popping. Play after play, Frazier was dumping defensive linemen into the turf, generating a strong push at the point of attack and playing through the echo of the whistle.
.@steelers @zfrazier54 the only enjoyable part of this offense was seeing how many knockdowns Zach would get. I lost track at 10… Steelers sure knows what a great CENTER looks like. Mike Webster would be proud of Zach’s debut @BigDuke50 #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/4fh9FNeQWt
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) September 11, 2024
In many ways, it’s what you’d expect from a center who started virtually from Day 1 at West Virginia and accumulated 47 games of experience over his four seasons. But even if his strong showing wasn’t surprising, it was significant for an offensive line that will remain in flux throughout this season.
While there’s reason to believe eventually, the offensive line will become a strength of this team, it’s dealing with numerous injuries and inexperience right now. On Sunday, left guard Isaac Seumalo’s injury opened the door for Spencer Anderson to make his first career start.
This week, left tackle Dan Moore Jr. missed practice on Wednesday with an ankle injury. Depending on his status, that could be the opening that allows first-round pick Troy Fautanu to step in at right tackle. Once that happens, the expectation is Broderick Jones will flip over to left tackle.
For what it’s worth, Fautanu said that last week he was just feeling things out and now he’s “hitting the ground running.”
“It’s tough missing three weeks,” Fautanu said. “It’s three weeks I wasn’t able to get better. But I was really locked in more mentally so that when I did get back out there, I’m playing fast. Whatever role they’re giving me coming into this game, whatever it is, I’m ready to go.”
Asked if he’d be ready to go on Sunday if he’s thrust into the starting lineup, Fautanu said, “I know I am.”
So, how will the line shake out on Sunday?
It’s still too early to say whether Moore will be healthy enough to be in the conversation and if the Steelers feel Fautanu’s MCL sprain has healed enough that it’s not a risk to play him.
How and when those things happen remains to be seen. But change is inevitable. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Steelers rank near the top of the league in offensive line combinations by the end of the season. Yet, the one constant is going to be Frazier in the middle. He’ll need to continue to be that stabilizing force.
Zooming out, the performance from the offensive line as a whole was a mixed bag. In pass protection, the Steelers were solid. They allowed six pressures, according to TruMedia, which was tied for the second-fewest. Fields’ average time to throw, 3.26 seconds, was also second-best and he was pressured on just 20 percent of dropbacks, which was third-best.
GO DEEPER
How the new pieces on defense could vault the Steelers to the next level
“I think they did a great job. I felt clean most of the day,” Fields said. “I think on one of the sacks, I could have got the ball out quicker, thrown the ball away. But overall, I think they did a great job. I know they’re not going to do anything but keep getting better.”
In the run game, the results were more inconsistent. Certainly, the Steelers showed their desire to wear down the opponent on the ground, as you’d expected from an Arthur Smith offense.
The Steelers lined up with two or more tight ends 59.1 percent of the time, the highest rate in the league according to TruMedia, and ran the ball a league-high 41 times. That included 36 designed runs, tied for most in the league in Week 1. However, they averaged just 3.3 yards per carry on the designed runs, which is fourth-lowest, and averaged 0.71 yards before contact, which was the fifth-fewest.
Still, by getting enough traction on the ground on first and second downs, the Steelers stayed in manageable third-down situations. While they were in many third downs (17), they converted eight for a 47.1 conversion rate, ninth-best in Week 1.
“I’m appreciative of the efforts and demeanor of a guy like Spencer [Anderson], of a guy like Zach Frazier, who are in stadiums in a starting capacity for the first time,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “There’s definitely a lot of positive things to build on. I like their attitude and demeanor and finish. We’ll keep working on the fine details.”
As the Steelers look ahead to this week’s matchup in Denver, the offensive line once again will be in the spotlight. Producing a similar or better result on the ground on first and second down will be critical, especially considering the type of defensive front they’re about to face.
On one hand, it appears there could be an opportunity to run the football against the Broncos. Last season, they allowed a league-worst 5.0 yards per carry. Their rush defense didn’t appear much improved in the opener, as they allowed 33 rushes for 146 yards — an average of 4.4 yards per carry — and a pair of rushing touchdowns.
Free, daily NFL updates direct to your inbox.
Free, daily NFL updates direct to your inbox.
Sign Up
However, from a pass-rush perspective, the Broncos certainly can get after the quarterback. Linebacker Jonathon Cooper led Denver with 8.5 sacks last season and had two in the opener against the Seattle Seahawks. He appears in line for a breakout season and was part of why the Broncos were top 10 in Week 1 in QB hits (seven) and pressure percentage (40 percent).
One critical wrinkle to watch is the Broncos’ blitz package. They brought pressure on 50 percent of opposing dropbacks, which was the highest rate in the league. That style of defense will challenge Frazier to identify blitzes and adjust protections. And more than anything, the Steelers will have to stay in third-and-manageable situations to avoid allowing the Broncos to pin back their ears.
“We’d better stay on schedule,” Tomlin said. “If we get behind the chains in that environment versus a guy like (defensive coordinator) Vance (Joseph), it’s going to be some challenges for us.”
(Photo of Zach Frazier: Amy Lemus / NurPhoto via Getty Images)
