Steelers Now
PITTSBURGH — Mike Webster manned the center of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive line for 15 seasons. Dermontti Dawson came along soon after, locking that position down for 13 years. Maurkice Pouncey was Mike Tomlin’s fulcrum for a decade, forming a strong bond with Ben Roethlisberger.
Webster and Dawson have busts in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Pouncey is eligible for that honor with the 2026 class.
Having grown up in West Virginia “right across the border,” second-year Steelers center Zach Frazier watched the Steelers on the local channels, keeping an eye specifically on Pouncey. He didn’t need much schooling on the legacy at the position, but he got it anyway, he said in the locker room after practice Thursday at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.
“I think that was the first thing the media kinda told me all about — and I already knew that there’s a long history of centers here,” said Frazier, who was also a four-time heavyweight state wrestling champion at Fairmont Senior High School. “It’s definitely something I want to live up to and keep that standard.”
At one point, Dawson earned six straight first-team Associated Press All-Pro nods. Webster had five during his time in the black and gold. Pouncey was twice the premier center on those teams.
“If you study the history of this game, you go down that hallway upstairs, and there’s been great quarterback players,” Steelers offensive coordinator Smith said before that practice. “There’s usually been great center players. Look at the Colts with Peyton Manning and Jeff Saturday. There are a million examples here. There have been some terrific gold jacket centers here.”
Frazier started 15 games for the Steelers last season after being selected with the No. 51 overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. He earned the Joe Greene Great Performance Award, presented to the team’s Rookie of the Year. Ahead of Sunday’s regular-season opener against the New York Jets, Frazier has been an instrumental part of Aaron Rodgers getting up to speed in a new offense.
“There were a lot of things we liked about Zach,” Smith said. “He got a lot of reps even for a rookie, but now you’ve got somebody going into Year 21, it’ll really help Zach’s career going forward when you get with a guy like Aaron and he’s not a rookie anymore. That chemistry is important, too. That’s such a critical thing, center and quarterback, just like getting on the same page with DK (Metcalf) or Jonnu (Smith) or anybody else.”
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Zach Frazier Lugging Huge Responsibility of Being Steelers’ Center
