Despite being disappointed with his team's performance on Saturday night, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin still took time to praise Zach Frazier. When asked about how the rookie center looked in his first NFL start, Tomlin said he was "largely satisfied" with what he saw from Frazier.
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Frazier got the start because Nate Herbig is dealing with an injury that’s expected to keep him sidelined for an extended period of time, likely into the regular season. Tomlin said he will provide more updates on Herbig’s status in the coming days.
While Tomlin made sure to add that he would elaborate further after watching film, he was not the only one to compliment Frazier following Pittsburgh's 9-3 preseason loss to the Buffalo Bills.
In addition to Tomlin, Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson, who completed 8-of-10 passes for 47 yards in his Steelers debut, offered a more direct perspective about what it was like to work with Frazier and what he's seen from him as a teammate.
"He's tough. I think that he's such a hard worker, and that's rare to find as a rookie, guys that have such professionalism and have an elite level of focus," said Wilson to reporters postgame.
"He has an elite level of focus. And he did a great job tonight. He made a lot of great calls and just communication between me and him tonight. Obviously, with Big Nate (Herbig) out, he's gotta step up."
Wilson even went as far as to offer advice to Frazier moving forward.
"And I think the best thing that he can do is keep learning every day, knowing that there's gonna be highs and lows," Wilson said. "There's gonna be bumps in the road. He went against a really good front tonight — they do a good job. And I thought he handled it well. I thought he was composed. He didn't blink."
Everything Frazier's said and done since arriving in Pittsburgh screams a young player willing to do whatever it takes to be great.
"I think it’s my job to, you know, take care of myself first and make sure all of my ducks are in a row before I start leading others," said Frazier back in May.
And since everything points to Frazier staying at the top of the depth chart for a while, the Steelers' second-round draft pick will need to learn as much as he can as quickly as he can. Fortunately for Frazier, Herbig's absence means he's assured to receive all of the first-team reps during practice and in games.
It remains to be seen how PFF grades Frazier for his second NFL appearance. But last week, they said Frazier allowed zero pressures in 19 pass block snaps and earned an overall grade of 72.2 as a run blocker in his first taste of NFL action against the Houston Texans.
Up next for Frazier and the Steelers is a final preseason test in Detroit on Aug. 24. Kickoff between Pittsburgh and the Lions is set for 1 p.m. ET. The game will air nationally on NFL Network and locally on KDKA-TV.
