After losing the Buffalo Bills 9-3 last Saturday, the Pittsburgh Steelers have gone winless during the preseason. It was hardly a performance for the ages, too, as head coach Mike Tomlin reminded his stars Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. Moreover, their offense just went one man short after center Nate Herbig suffered a torn rotator cuff during camp. This injury will cause him to miss possibly the Steelers’ entire 2024 season.
Jaylen Warren also left the Bills game due to injury.
This new injury could thrust rookie Zach Frazier into the starting role, a trial by fire as the Steelers look to start getting into gear heading into the next season.
“#Steelers C Nate Herbig, their projected starter, suffered a torn rotator cuff and is expected to miss significant time, potentially the entire season. Rookie Zach Frazier might now be thrust into an immediate starting role,” as reported by Ari Meirov on X, formerly Twitter.
Steelers’ injury and preseason woes
No team wants to suffer injuries, even in the preseason, but no team might not want it more than the Steelers, who have struggled so far against their opponents. Moreover, losing in the preseason is one thing, but losing while playing two of your top players against the opposing team’s bench squad is definitely another.
Russell Wilson and Justin Fields took turns playing quarterback against Mitch Trubisky and Ben DiNucci, although the two Steelers failed to gain meaningful offensive momentum throughout the game.
Giving up three sacks in the first three offensive series also set the tone for the Steelers. They didn’t quite move the ball, gaining only one first down in that span, which forced Tomlin to give a lukewarm reaction to Russell Wilson.
This new injury is a new setback for the team in that Herbig was a valuable piece for interior depth. The team had wanted their latest second-round draft pick Frazier to become the eventual starter, but Herbig’s injury removes a key reserve from the team.
Last season, he was one of the team’s top reserve, and the team looked for him to play the same role this year. Asked about the injury, Mike Tomlin was prudent.
“Nate’s got an injury that’s being continually evaluated,” the coach said in reply to media questions. “I think he’s getting a second opinion. I want to wait on that. I’ll give you guys some information probably the next time we come together, but I was largely satisfied with the work that I saw from Zach.”
After this Bills loss, the Steelers will face the Detroit Lions for their next preseason game. Can they finally get their stars into gear and get one win before Week 1 starts?
