In the midst of the Steelers' 10-3 start to this season has been the emergence of perhaps two foundational building blocks for the future.
Or should we say foundational building blockers.
Center Zach Frazier will make his 12th start of the season Sunday when the Steelers face the Philadelphia Eagles, while right guard Mason McCormick will be in the starting lineup for his 11 game.
Typically, when a team has two rookie starters on its offensive line, it leads to trouble. But Frazier and McCormick have not been typical rookies.
Frazier, 23, had 54 starts in college at West Virginia, while the 24-year-old McCormick had 57 consecutive starts at South Dakota State.
That experience has helped both players as they've navigated some of the treacherous roads faced by rookie offensive linemen in the NFL.
"I just think there's no shortcut to experience," said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. "We've been in some hot circumstances with that young collective. They face some top-notch people. They're going to face some top-notch people this week. But I think anytime you're successful, there's growth in it. And we've thankfully had some success. We faced some challenges, but we've had enough success to keep this group moving and motivated, and I see signs of that growth."
As Tomlin said, they'll need it this week. In nose tackle Jordan Davis and defensive ends Jalen Carter and Milton Williams, the Eagles offer a big challenge for the Steelers' interior offensive line this week.
The 6-foot-6 Davis is generously listed at 336 pounds, massive for a nose tackle, while Carter, 6-foot-3, 314 pounds, is an emerging star as a 3-4 defensive end. Both are former first-round draft picks.
Slowing that duo will fall largely on the capable shoulders of Frazier and McCormick.
"Yeah, we know all about Jalen Carter," said McCormick, who will be tasked with lining up opposite the Eagles' emerging star on Sunday. "They have a good defensive line. They're really good across the board. It's an exciting challenge. We've got a lot of work to put in this week to prepare for it."
The Steelers have actually had a full week to prepare for this game, something they won't have in their next two games. The NFL has scheduled their rematch with the Ravens to take place on Saturday, Dec. 21 in Baltimore, and the Steelers then host the Chiefs on Christmas Day.
That will give the Steelers three games in 11 days starting Sunday. Their opponents will all face the same schedule, but for the two rookie offensive linemen, it will be a challenge.
But the Steelers already played on a short week earlier this season, when they played the Ravens on a Sunday and then had to travel to Cleveland for a Thursday night game that week.
That was a learning process for the two rookies in the starting lineup, neither of whom had ever played a game in college on such a short turnaround.
"Going into that week, it was kind of crazy. It was the first time I've ever done that, got ready that quickly to play," said Frazier. "Now that I've experienced it, I feel like going into this stretch, I'll be a lot better because I've done it before."
And it helps that he's got a partner right next to him who is going through the same exact adjustments. In fact, the entire right side of the Steelers' offensive line is essentially going through all of these things at the same time. Right tackle Broderick Jones is actually younger than McCormick and just a few months older than Frazier, even though he now has 23 career starts, 11 last season and 12 in this one.
"Playing with Zach and Brod, both young guys like myself, it's been really cool to grow and evolve in this game together," said McCormick. "I think we can just keep stacking, just keep growing together."
A big part of that growth process will happen over the coming games, not only with three games in 11 days, but with the postseason looming.
But at least the overall workload isn't completely out of the norm. Because South Dakota State advanced to the national championship in each of his final three seasons, McCormick started 15 games in each of his final three college seasons. Frazier started as many as 13 games in his time at West Virginia with bowl games included.
"It's flown by," Frazier said of his rookie season. "I don't even realize that I'm playing more games than ever before. I feel good. I'm going to keep holding myself to the standard of doing what I do every week."
• Sunday's game in Philadelphia will pit one of the NFL's rising stars at defensive tackle, Carter, against the best defensive tackle in football, the Steelers' Cam Heyward.
Carter has been great for the Eagles in this, his second NFL season.
Carter, 23, has 37 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 12 tackles for a loss, 15 quarterback hits and four pass defenses. His 12 tackles for a loss leads all NFL interior defensive linemen.
Heyward, meanwhile, leads all defensive tackles with 55 tackles. He also has eight sacks, 10 tackles for a loss, 19 quarterback hits and eight pass defenses, which also leads all NFL defensive linemen.
Both Heyward and Carter play 3-4 defensive end, but see more time at defensive tackle because they both kick inside in nickel and dime situations, which means they line up there way more than they do in a base package.
Carter might be the future of the position. But Heyward is the current king. He's having a remarkable season and should be in consideration for NFL Defensive Player of the Year along with teammate T.J. Watt.
"He is outstanding," Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said of Heyward. "I wouldn't know who I'd trade him for. There's a couple big guys that are playing well, but he's right there with them. His impact is unbelievable for us and what he does for us. I'd love to have him in that discussion. I'm not a part of that. That's not my purview. But, if he got it, would I be surprised? No. Would I be disappointed to say there's others deserving? Maybe. But, he's really deserving, as well."
• It's no secret that Steelers placekicker Chris Boswell is having a fabulous 2024 season. He might be on his way to the best season for any kicker in NFL history.
His next field goal will break his own team record of 36 made field goals set in 2021. Boswell made 36 of his 40 attempts in 2021.
Boswell also remains on pace to set the league single-season record for made field goals of 44 set by Davis Akers in 2011. Akers, however, did that on 52 attempts, which also set an NFL record.
With an NFL-best 137 points already this season, Boswell is averaging just over 10 points per game. The NFL record for points in a season by a kicker is 166 by Akers in 2011. Considering the Steelers have four more games remaining, Boswell might cruise past that.
The Steelers' record for single-season attempts is 43 set by Roy Gerela in 1973 – in a 14-game regular season. Gerela made just 29 of those attempts and was 0-5 from 50 yards and beyond.
Boswell, meanwhile, is 11-13 from beyond 50 yards this season, with his only misses coming from 58 and 62 yards.
His 11 made field goals from beyond 50 yards are the second-most in a single season in NFL history behind Houston's Kai Fairbairn, who has made 13 this season. Fairbairn has attempted 16 50-plus-yard field goals and also has the luxury of kicking indoors for his home games.
Overall, Fairbairn has made 31 of his 36 attempts this season.
Boswell's 11 successful attempts this season are more than any other Steelers placekicker made in their careers with the team. Gary Anderson and Jeff Reed are second with eight each, but Anderson was 8 of 27, while Reed was 8 of 17.
Boswell also has now made 32 field goals of 50-plus yards since the 2021 season, the most of any NFL kicker and is now 41 of 50 in his career from 50 yards and beyond. All other placekickers in team history combined made 27 of 84 attempts from 50 yards and beyond.
The only kicker who approached Boswell's accuracy from 50 yards and beyond was Kris Brown. But Brown only had five attempts with the Steelers from that distance, making four. For his career, which lasted from 1999 through 2010, Brown was 18 of 34 on 50-yard attempts.
Matt Prater holds the league record for 50-plus-yard kicks in his career with 81 makes. But Prater, who is currently on IR with the Cardinals, spent half of his career in Denver, where kickers regularly take advantage of the thin air to make longer kicks, and then Detroit and Arizona, two teams that play their home games indoors.
Prater, 40, is 81 of 108 on 50-plus-yard attempts, a 75 percent success rate – second-best in NFL history. Boswell has made 82 percent of such kicks, which is the best success rate for players with 50 or more attempts.
Second on the all-time list is Justin Tucker with 62, while Sebastian Janikowski is third with 58.
• With the Steelers' victory over the Browns, Russell Wilson improved to 6-1 as a starter this season. It also was the 121st win as a starting quarterback in his career.
Wilson, who has accounted for 12 touchdown passes and one rushing touchdown in his seven starts, has the fifth-most wins for a quarterback in his first 13 seasons.
• Dale Lolley is co-host of "SNR Drive" on Steelers Nation Radio. Subscribe to the podcast here: Apple Podcast | iHeart Podcast Pittonline@iheartmedia.com
If the Steelers can win two more games this season with Wilson as the starter, he'll match Ben Roethlisberger with 123 victories in his first 13 seasons.
Wilson won't catch Tom Brady (136) or Peyton Manning (141), but he also has a shot to catch Brett Favre (125) if the Steelers win their final four games this season.
Sunday, Wilson will put an undefeated streak on the line against the Eagles.
Wilson is 6-0 in his career against Philadelphia, 4-0 in the regular season and 2-0 in the playoffs, all with Seattle. In those games, he's averaged 252 passing yards with nine touchdown passes and one interception. He's also 4-0 against the Eagles in Philadelphia.
The Eagles are ranked No. 1 in total defense in 2024, allowing 284.2 yards per game. In his career, Wilson is 4-0 when facing the league's No. 1-ranked defense. He went 2-0 with Seattle and was 2-0 in Denver, beating the 49ers, 11-10, in 2022, and Cleveland, 29-12, in 2023.
• Frazier and McCormick are only two of the Steelers' rookies who are making a big impact with the team this season.
Inside linebacker Payton Wilson, a fourth-round draft pick, has played over 45 percent of the team's defensive snaps and has 55 tackles, including two for a loss, two fumble recoveries, a forced fumble, an interception and two quarterback hits. He scored a touchdown on a fumble return in a win over the Bengals two weeks ago and had perhaps a game-saving interception last month against the Ravens.
Nickel cornerback Beanie Bishop, an undrafted player, has played 61.5 percent of the team's defensive snaps and has 42 tackles, six pass defenses, three interceptions and two tackles for a loss. His three interceptions are the second-most of any NFL rookie.
And remember, first-round draft pick Troy Fautanu and third-round selection Roman Wilson have missed most of the season with injuries.
Fautanu made one start before suffering a season-ending knee injury, while Wilson was injured in training camp, briefly returned to practice and then suffered a hamstring injury that landed him on the Reserve/Injured List.
The Steelers got big contributions from Jones, cornerback Joey Porter Jr., nose tackle Keeanu Benton, tight end Darnell Washington and linebacker Nick Herbig as rookies last season. This year's class hasn't had the same number of rookies see the field extensively overall, but it's had that group's impact, all the same.
Back-to-back very good drafts is a big reason why the Steelers now find themselves at 10-3 and very close to clinching a playoff spot, something they can do Sunday with a win over the Eagles or losses by the Dolphins and Colts.
The thing to also remember is that just because a rookie doesn't make big contributions right away, doesn't mean they won't in future seasons.
After all, cornerback Cory Trice, a seventh-round pick last season, had a big interception for the Steelers earlier this season, while fellow seventh-round pick Spencer Anderson started several games early this season when the Steelers were dealing with a number of offensive line injuries.
Defensive back Ryan Watts and defensive lineman Logan Lee, a pair of sixth-round picks this season, have been on injured reserve all season and have been out of sight, out of mind for fans. But both have been around all season, learning and soaking in information that could pay dividends in 2025.
