Aug 16, 2024 5 min read

Call up the projected depth chart for the Steelers on different websites that aren’t the one being posted by the team and you’ll see rookies Zach Frazier starting at center and Troy Fautanu at right tackle.

Fautanu’s current MCL sprain will put him in the starting lineup on hold. But Frazier? He’ll be the Steelers’ starting center when the season opens.

And it’s not because Justin Fields couldn’t handle a couple of snaps from Nate Herbig in last week’s preseason opener. Those mistakes weren’t on Herbig. They were on Fields.

Frazier has gotten better and better over the past three weeks at training camp and was a star last week against the Texans. The former West Virginia star looks like he’ll hold down the center position for at least the next decade for the Steelers.

Fautanu might not be far behind him – once he recovers from his knee injury.

Add in offensive tackle Broderick Jones, the team’s first-round draft pick last season, and guards Mason McCormick and Spencer Anderson, both also acquired in the past two drafts, and the Steelers could have a very young and very talented offensive line in the not too distant future.

“We’re building it,” said assistant GM Andy Weidl earlier this week. “You talk about physical, tough players, guys that fit (offensive coordinator Arthur (Smith’s) scheme, No. 1. Being aligned with the coaches, guys that have explosive power, guys that have maturity to them. They love to compete. I think the guys we brought in, they all have that. They’re athletic, they tested well. They have a certain mentality to them. And they provide range for our team, for our offense, and the football maturity that they have. I think this group is going to grow together, the guys we’ve gotten the last two years, and we’re excited about where they’re going and the direction that they’re heading.”

There might be some growing pains. There often are with young players.

But with veterans around them, the offensive line that just a couple of years ago was a weakness, could soon become a strength for the Steelers.

• The reason the Steelers have felt comfortable making a trade offer to the 49ers for wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is because they feel they have their quarterback of the next few years on their roster.

And no, it’s not Justin Fields.

Russell Wilson has impressed the team enough that he could be the team’s quarterback for the next few years. Obviously, that would have to include signing him to an extension after this season is over, but he’s shown enough skill and leadership that the team will be comfortable doing that.

The Steelers haven’t been offering San Francisco a first-round draft pick, but there are multiple future picks being offered.

Unless the team was comfortable with its quarterback situation, it wouldn’t do that.

This is not to say Fields can’t be part of that equation, as well. But Wilson has been far superior at training camp.

And at 35 – he won’t turn 36 until late November – he still has some good football remaining in him.

The Steelers don’t need Wilson to be a star. They just need him to make three or four big-time throws per game, get them into and out of good and bad plays and manage the game well.

He’s shown he’s capable of doing those things.

And that won’t preclude the Steelers from drafting another quarterback in the near future. They just won’t need to reach to do it. If an opportunity presents itself, they can take advantage of that.

• George Pickens will be the Steelers’ breakout star in 2024. Steelers fans already know how good Pickens can be. But after this season, the entire NFL will know it.

• Another solid Pony World Series wrapped up earlier this week at Lew Hays Pony Field.

Washington County’s team made the final four, losing to Tijuana, Mexico, 10-8, in the semifinals.

With the addition of the former teams from the Mon Valley League, which qualified for the World Series as the Host Zone champions this year, next year’s Washington County team should be even stronger.

The bar has been set high for future Washington County teams based on results in recent years. But the Founders’ League, from which the Washington County team is chosen, will include 20 or more teams in 2025.

They should be able to compete against anyone.

• It’s hard to believe that just a couple of weeks ago the Pirates were in the thick of a playoff chase. Now, the question is how high they’ll be picking in the top 10 in the 2025 draft.

Dale Lolley hosts The Drive on the Steelers Audio Network and writes a Sunday column for the Observer-Reporter.