“Very smart” Steelers center Ryan McCollum doesn’t mind his first start in three years

When Ryan McCollum was asked this week what he remembers from his last NFL start, he kept it brief.

“Elevation,” the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman said, referring to the game in Denver. “It was hard to breathe.”

McCollum can be forgiven for offering scant details about the game.

It happened almost three years ago.

McCollum will make his second NFL start and first for the Steelers when he fills in for injured center Zach Frazier in Sunday night's game against the New York Jets.

It's been nearly four years since the 6-foot-1, 300-pound McCollum left Texas A&M and entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent. He spent most of that time on a practice squad, and three teams waived him four times.

The 26-year-old McCollum will likely make multiple starts for the Steelers. Frazier is expected to miss at least two games due to an ankle injury he suffered in last week's win at the Las Vegas Raiders.

Has McCollum ever considered quitting football?

“No,” he said. “Never. I'm not a quitter. It's not in my blood. So I just keep working.”

Believe it or not, among the other 52 players on the active roster, McCollum joined the Steelers and stayed with the organization longer than 33 of them. But his first regular-season appearance for the Steelers came last month in the form of six special teams snaps in the opener in Atlanta.

His first offensive snap came three weeks later, a single play as a “Jumbo” tight end in Indianapolis.

His first stint at center – his natural position – came after Frazier suffered an injury in the third quarter of last week's 32-13 win.

“I thought Ryan did a great job,” senior right tackle Dan Moore said. “He has done a great job each time developing the team and getting everyone on the right track. He's a really good leader. He's actually a loud guy. I thought Ryan did a great job playing and leading the group.”

After starting as a fifth-year senior at Texas A&M, McCollum signed with the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent in 2021. He opened this season on their practice squad until the Detroit Lions signed him in October. He earned a starting spot for them against the Broncos on December 12 of that year and played extensively in the season finale.

But the Lions waived McCollum late in the following training camp and he was claimed by the Steelers. They've retained him on reserve/future and practice squad contracts ever since, and when Nate Herbig suffered a season-ending shoulder injury at the end of summer camp, McCollum took advantage of the route to the active roster as a backup center.

“I like the way Ryan plays,” right tackle Broderick Jones said. “He has confidence when he steps on the field. He is loud when he communicates. All the little things you need in a center – getting to the point, being loud, communicating, making sure everyone is on the same page – I feel like he does that. I feel like he’s going to go out and play well.”

Injuries to Herbig, Frazier, starting tackle Troy Fautanu, starting guard James Daniels and reserve tackle Dylan Cook have left the Steelers' offensive line weakened. Taking into account the four games that starter Isaac Seumalo missed, the Steelers are on their fifth starting O-line combination through the first seven games.

Therefore, the Steelers could certainly use a stabilizing presence from McCollum at center.

“He was good,” running back Najee Harris said. “He is very, very smart. His game IQ is very high. … He's on the phone, doing things like that, the guards, slides, stuff like that, that other people don't see. He does it well. We are all happy for him.”