In something of a surprising bit of news, it came out on Saturday that starting center Nate Herbig has a significant shoulder injury that is going to sideline him for a significant amount of time. This means that rookie center Zach Frazier is now the team’s starting center for the regular season.
Here are three things this move means for Pittsburgh.
Mason McCormick is now on notice
With Herbig out and Frazier a starter, the team’s backup center becomes starting right guard James Daniels. This means rookie Mason McCormick could end up in the starting lineup at some point in the season.
A release could be coming soon
Herbig has a 2024 cap hit of $5.46 million but the team could save $4 million if they release him. If the injury is as bad as they say, this feels inevitable.
The quarterback position got a boost
No matter what anyone thinks, watching Herbig botch those snaps last week couldn’t have done anything positive for Russell Wilson and Justin Fields’ confidence.
