PITTSBURGH– According to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh Steelers center Nate Herbig has suffered a serious shoulder injury that will keep him out of action for an extended period of time.
Herbig sustained the injury on Wednesday on the final day of training camp. He was examined by trainers and left practice shortly afterward. Zach Frazier took over all of the first-team work and did so again during joint practice with the Buffalo Bills. He is expected to start Saturday against the Bills, and with Herbig likely out for the foreseeable future, that means Frazier will almost certainly start in Week 1.
Herbig could miss the start of the season, which would allow the Steelers to place him on the injured list on cut-down day. Should that happen, the Steelers do not have to make room for Herbig on their initial 53-man roster. Instead, they can designate Herbig to return at some point during the season.
Pittsburgh must answer the question of who will back up Frazier. Although many players have experience as a center, Spencer Anderson and Mason McCormick seem to be the most likely options for that role internally. Ryan McCollum could also fill that role.
If the Steelers don’t like those options, there are a few veterans left. Mason Cole and Scott Quessenberry are two names the Steelers could be interested in to fill that void.
