LATROBE, Pa. -- The Steelers have a backup center problem with few candidates standing out as potential solutions.
While Mason Cole has the potential to break out as one of the best centers in the NFL this season, the contingency plan behind him looks cloudy with nearly three weeks to go until the regular season kicks off. This wasn't as much of an issue in years past, as J.C. Hassenauer locked in that role and held onto it for three seasons before leaving for the Giants in free agency.
The Kendrick Green experiment -- no matter how much Ben Roethlisberger wants to plead about how much he loves Green and how "they drafted that guy to be my center" -- is on life support. It was apparent in Friday's game against the Buccaneers when he was blown up on bull rushes on more than one instance, and it became more apparent when the Steelers started to deploy him as a fullback, only for Green to get back into a near full workload with the offensive line over the last three practices after that fullback hype started to die down a bit.
Nate Herbig is a guard by trade, but has repped as a center in some instances in this camp. He was signed to back up James Daniels at right guard and can play some left guard behind his old buddy in Philadelphia, Isaac Seumalo, giving him a leg-up as a depth option across three positions.
Then there is Spencer Anderson, the seventh-round rookie out of Maryland who has made strides as training camp has progressed. He has experience along all five positions across the offensive line and has looked more like a solution than a problem than most seventh-round offensive linemen might show, at least when it comes to a training camp setting.
"Just keeping my feet hot, being ready to be where I'm asked to be at," Anderson told me after Wednesday's walkthrough at Saint Vincent College. "Like yesterday, it's right tackle with the twos (second team) and center with the threes (third team), so just being where my feet are and getting some of the stuff down. Now everybody's depending on me to make calls and stuff like that, which I don't have a problem with, but everything's in my mind, kind of going crazy, so I've just got to slow it down."
In last week's preseason opener at the Buccaneers, Anderson played 13 snaps at right guard in the second quarter before moving to right tackle for seven snaps in the third quarter. He then moved to left guard in the fourth quarter and played 17 snaps.
That is nothing new to Anderson, whose versatility and his prowess as a pass blocker were major factors coming out of college. Anderson allowed four sacks and four quarterback hits in 1,274 pass-blocking snaps over his career, per Pro Football Focus. He played every position on the Maryland line, but played in 12 games at right guard in 2022.
While primarily a right guard, Anderson played in more than 1,100 snaps at right tackle and just above 40 at left guard in college. That was a skill he said he picked up in high school after his starting center went down.
Consider it a formed habit.
"He did all those things in college, and so you know, if you show versatility, it helps his cause and ours, and he appears to be a young guy at least intellectually that's capable of handling it," Mike Tomlin said. "The more we give him reps will be revealed whether he's physically capable of handling. So far, so good."
During Wednesday's practice in Latrobe, Anderson worked as the second-team right tackle while Green operated as the second-team center. Anderson was the third-team center as Green went and lined up at H-back when called upon. Anderson took some reps as the second-team center Tuesday.
There is a major difference in what a guard or tackle do compared to what a center does, and that is the center's duty of calling out adjustments and assignments. That is the major adjustment Anderson is experiencing in his test-run as an NFL center.
"The base stuff is pretty easy, it's just now the ball is going to be snapped when I snap it, and I've got to -- instead of cadence being an afterthought, it has to be a main thought because everybody's depending on me to snap the ball. I had one hiccup yesterday, but stuff like that. I.D'ing the Mike (linebacker), making simple double-team calls, stuff like that. It's no problem. It's just base stuff."
Daniels acknowledged how tough it is for someone -- especially a rookie -- to try to work in at multiple positions across an offensive line. He equated it to owning stainless-steel pots and pans and then going over to a friend's house to cook, and they own nonstick pans. As in, it involves similar technique, but there are different ways to do it.
"I think he's done a good job," Daniels said. "Our vets in the room, they're really hard on him and he does a really good job of taking in information and applying it to practice. ... He knows when we call a play, he knows that the left tackle does this, the right tackle -- even if he's at right tackle, he knows the left tackle and the left guard should be doing this. When he looks at the plays like that, it's easier for him to understand everything."
Anderson worked out with Cole before the Steelers reported in Latrobe, and he has been absorbing the teachings of the leader of the Steelers' offensive line since his arrival after being drafted. He said he approached this training camp with the mindset that he was an "afterthought" in the draft and wanted to show the coaching staff that he belongs in the NFL.
"I feel like I've gotten better each week," Anderson said. "Obviously it's not always going to be perfect. It's the National Football League. They get paid money, too. As long as I'm doing my job, feel like it always looks good, and try to get better every day."
MORE FROM PRACTICE
• In a similar fashion to Tuesday's practice, the offense took the seven shots period, 4-3, after Tomlin called for the first-team offense versus the first-team defense to decide the seventh rep. On that rep, Kenny Pickett connected with George Pickens on a slant route, and Pickens muscled the ball away from Patrick Peterson a half-step behind him for the clinching point.
Najee Harris was stuffed short of the goal line by Cam Heyward and Isaiahh Loudermilk on Play 1, and he was piled on by a gang of Steelers defenders and was stopped short again on Play 2. Jaylen Warren ran in touchdowns on Play 3 and Play 6, including a bounce to the outside off of the right tackle Anderson on Play 6. Pickett looked for Diontae Johnson on a bootleg rollout but missed high on Play 4, and Anthony McFarland was pushed in by a pile of blockers for a score on Play 6 to tie the event at 3.
• In seven shots, here is how the first-team defense lined up: T.J. Watt, Loudermilk, Heyward, Alex Highsmith on the line, Cole Holcomb and Kwon Alexander at inside linebacker, and Peterson, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Damontae Kazee, Chandon Sullivan and Levi Wallace in the secondary. Loudermilk took the spot of Larry Ogunjobi, who had his right foot in a boot and did not practice again Wednesday.
• Dan Moore Jr. continued to seize reps over Broderick Jones as the first-team left tackle. None for Jones Wednesday.
• Speaking of Alexander, I get more excited about his potential up the middle with every play I see him in. He was repping with the first team alongside Holcomb in seven shots and in team periods Wednesday.
• But, don't fret on Elandon Roberts. He is still making a strong case as a starter inside. He picked off a bobbled Calvin Austin ball in a 7-on-7 drill. He has a nose for the ball, as some would say.
• In addition to high-pointing a ball from Pickett for a one-handed grab in a position drill, Darnell Washington beat Damontae Kazee on a goal line rep in a drill for a touchdown grab with a clever box-out. I was standing behind the end zone, and I overheard Kazee yell: “That’s all (he, censored) can do is push!”
• Pickens secured a one-handed grab on a fade with James Pierre blanketing him on the very next play. Another outstanding catch.
• The offense scored in both red zone possessions to end practice. Harris ran one in from three yards on Play 3 on the first possession. Mitch Trubisky then connected with Rodney Williams for an 11-yard TD on Play 7 to end practice.
• In addition to Ogunjobi, Herbig (shoulder) remained out Wednesday. Tre Norwood (leg) was back in team drills.
• Fitzpatrick was the last one on the field, as he worked with a coach on hand-eye coordination drills. He then gave time to media members who were patient enough to wait for him to wrap up, and he talked about how the Steelers can use their three-safety look with Keanu Neal, Kazee and himself:
