Will the Real Steelers Starting Center Please Stand Up

Green struggled in his rookie campaign with bad snaps and too often lost at the point of attack against quick and powerful defensive lineman. It doesn’t help that he failed to secure a ringing endorsement from his quarterback. As Green ceded his starting role to Hassenauer due to injury, Ben Roethlisberger stated that Green would be better suited to guard than center in the NFL.

“KG (Green) is a guy who we put a lot on this year,” Roethlisberger said in an interview on WDVE in January. “He’s a guy who didn’t play much center, even in college… I think at some point KG will get moved to guard and he will dominate this league at guard.”

The comment was prefaced by Ben’s admission that while he’s no coach, he sees the kind of fire and passion in Green necessary for him to excel at offensive guard in the NFL. Ben’s assertion has merit. For one, the Steelers’ starting right guard in 2021, Trai Turner, remains a free agent. And left guard Kevin Dotson may never really live up to the potential and promise of his rookie year. Ideally, Green could slide over one spot and fill in the hole at either guard position. While the Steelers have been very mum on their intentions for Green, the move would leave three internal candidates competing for center: Daniels, Cole and Hassenauer.

And then there’s the NFL Draft. In a matter of a few weeks, a draft class featuring perhaps the best center prospect in a decade will take the stage in Las Vegas. In drafting Iowa’s Tyler Linderbaum - as several experts have expected the Steelers to do - Pittsburgh would lock down their center position for not just one or two years, but potentially a decade. A similar scenario occurred in 2010, when the Steelers pounced on an accomplished Florida center who made a name for himself by snapping to Tim Tebow and winning a national championship. Thanks in part to the intrigue of the NFL Draft, a position often considered too mundane to get worked up about has become one of the focal points of the Steelers’ offseason.

Linderbaum has the makings of an elite NFL center, with the tenacity and mental acumen to succeed at the position where Green too often failed. That said, Linderbaum isn’t the perfect prospect. He’s been knocked for being too light and too short to excel at center in the NFL, and would be the first sub-300 pound center ever selected in the first round. In addition, Linderbaum’s reach has been questioned due to a short wingspan and like Kendrick Green, many of his college snaps have been scrutinized as being “too high.” All in all, it’s worth wondering where Linderbaum’s ceiling is and how well his grit and wrestling background can make up for measurable height-weight deficiencies. But if he’s still on the board at the 20th pick, the Steelers would be wise to consider Linderbaum.

With all that said, it’s not 2010. The Steelers are not one year removed from winning a Super Bowl, and there are more pressing needs to be addressed than who’s snapping to Mitch Trubisky or Mason Rudolph. It’s 2022, and the Steelers would be wise to ensure their future Super Bowl prospects with a franchise quarterback.

Could it be Malik Willis? Perhaps Desmond Ridder? Or could Kenny Pickett remain in Pittsburgh as the heir apparent to Roethlisberger?

Whatever the case, the Steelers can’t have their cake and eat it too. Even if Linderbaum’s there at pick 20 - and he might be considering most mock drafts have him going from the 12th overall pick all the way to 31st overall - the temptation to secure their franchise quarterback or restock on defense might be too strong to resist. If so, Linderbaum would be off the board by the second round, and the Steelers would have to settle for addressing their interior offensive line and center position with later round picks. Prospects such as Kentucky’s Luke Fortner and Boston College’s Alec Lindstrom would fit the bill, but would in all likelihood have to settle for a backup role on the depth chart. Forget “three dogs, one bone.” In 2022, the expression might as well be “five, maybe six dogs, one bone” given the potential prospects at center for the Steelers.

The inevitable fight for the Steelers' starting center is a worthwhile endeavor and will provide tons of heated exchanges and battles in training camp. Truthfully, training camp and offseason workout programs give the best, most accurate glimpse into what is to come for the Steelers in any given year. And no one will be more pleased in evaluating his center prospects than Mike Tomlin, especially considering the sizable shoes left by Maurkice Pouncey in 2021. The team needs a center, and the Steelers cannot settle for average when it comes to one of their most prized and hallmark positions on the field.

This offseason, the Steelers will rev up their competition at most every spot along the interior of their line, hoping for better results than what came in the year previous. With a fortified offensive line and multiple players fitting the bill, the Steelers’ epicenter this offseason is at center. Fans should breathe easy knowing that the football is in more capable, reliable hands, no matter who’s snapping it.