The Pittsburgh Steelers are willing to use any method necessary to acquire their next starter as they look for alternatives to Mason Cole.
At the NFL Combine, general manager Omar Khan announced that the Steelers would investigate trades, free agency, and the NFL Draft to make sure they had a starting center on the roster for the next season. But in the event that they don’t land one, they are confident in their backup plan. Khan said,
“Right now, we have Nate Herbig,” “I always talk about offensive linemen that have position flexibility. That’s always been important to me. We have offensive linemen that are center-capable. But that’s not to say that we’re not going to take a look in free agency and the trade market and the draft process. There’s some good players at every one of those. We feel good about the center draft. We feel good about the center free agents.”
Herbig will not be given the first post in 2024. In addition to the 25-year-old, the Steelers have already begun to consider their alternatives as they aim to add another starter-caliber player to their roster.
Backup plan for The Steelers
All Steelers has learned from sources that the team is considering signing 28-year-old Brian Allen, a starter for the Los Angeles Rams who has started 32 NFL games. Khan said,
“We have position-flexible guys that are starters in the league as it is, but we’re always going to try to improve the team,” “We cut our starting center from last year. We feel good about Nate Herbig. But if there’s an opportunity to bring in some good competition, we’re going to do it.”
Following their continued scouting of elite centers at the NFL Combine, the Steelers will start talking to free agents. They will almost definitely add to the group, but Herbig is their backup option if they are unable to sign a player for the starting lineup.