The title of this article echoes the sentiments of Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin whenever one of his players suffers an injury, gets suspended, holds out, etc.

In the case of veteran utility lineman, Nate Herbig, his misfortune is a potentially season-ending rotator cuff injury he sustained in the Steelers’ final training camp practice at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa. last week.

Rookie Zach Frazier, selected in the second round out of West Virginia in the 2024 NFL Draft, looks to be the man who will now get the opportunity to become the starting center in Week 1 of the regular season.

Injuries are unfortunate, but they are a part of life in the National Football League. It goes without saying that you hate to see anyone get hurt. Still, there was also an unspoken understanding that Frazier would eventually become Pittsburgh’s starting center the moment he was drafted.

Herbig’s injury now opens the door for Frazier, which likely would have already been ajar if not for Tomlin’s unwillingness to throw rookies into the fray immediately. Why does every rookie have to earn their stripes? If a rookie is the best man for the job, hire him for that job. Even if he’s not quite ready, throw him in and see if he can swim. Heck, the Steelers threw rookie Kendrick Green into the starting center role not long after selecting him in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft–they even gave him the same jersey number as the recently retired Maurkice Pouncey. Green wasn’t ready for the job, but they stuck with him until they could no longer do so.

Things were different three years ago. The Steelers didn’t have the depth along their offensive line that they do now. Tomlin came into his latest training camp with the luxury of allowing his high-pedigreed rookie center to “sit and learn” while his dependable utility interior lineman–Herbig–manned the position until it was time for a changing of the guard.

Unfortunately for Herbig, the changing of the guard came sooner than expected. I’d say it was unfortunate for Frazier, but if I didn’t think he was capable, I’d be worried.

I’m not worried at all.

If you remember back to the many, many, many months of pre-draft coverage, Frazier was one of the “Big 3” at the center position, and he was a candidate to go in the first round–often to the Steelers in mock drafts.

Nothing is certain in life–and football–but if a center is a first-round candidate, chances are, that center is going to be a good NFL player.

You might be worried about depth; what happens if Frazier gets hurt or isn’t ready to be a starting center in the National Football League?

Again, things are different now than they were a few years ago. Pittsburgh has spent the past few offseasons under Omar Khan and Andy Weidl bringing in high-end talent and quality depth.

Is rookie Mason McCormick still a favorite to make the final roster? If so, he could move up and start at right guard, while James Daniels moves to center. If the Steelers don’t want to disrupt two positions, what about Spencer Anderson, the second-year man out of Maryland who is capable of playing all five positions along the line and whose name draws praise whenever it is mentioned?

Maybe Frazier will step right in and do a good job as the Steelers starting center. Maybe he won’t. However, it was going to be his job, eventually, so why can’t eventually be now?

I realize coaches like Tomlin are only worried about the very next game, and perhaps Herbig gave the Steelers a better chance of defeating the Falcons in Week 1. But the big picture is important, too, and Pittsburgh has to catch up to the very best teams in the NFL one of these days. The smartest and quickest way is to start the most talented players at as many positions as possible.

Zach Frazier is the Steelers’ future at center, and that future might as well start now.