The Pittsburgh Steelers, with elite defenses ranging from Blitzburgh to the Steel Curtain, have always had star pass rushers.
Even right now, Alex Highsmith and T.J. Watt create a fearsome duo at outside linebacker, just as it was during the best days of the Steelers’ 3-4 defense.
So, when Highsmith went down with a groin injury and it required Nick Herbig to step in, there were high hopes for the rookie who came onto the scene in his rookie year, and in limited snaps, made the most of them.
Herbig took the expectations and ran with it. The second-year player out of Wisconsin recorded three pressures, two sacks, and one forced fumble. Watt has made Herbig his protege and taken him under his wing. Sometimes, the way he rushes the quarterback looks eerily similar.
“It didn’t surprise me, that kid works his tail off. We pretty much do everything together when we are in the facility… The kid that asks all the right questions. I’m not surprised by the performance. He went out there and played with a lot of swag and confidence,” Watt said about Herbig.
Herbig admitted his eyes got a little big when Highsmith went down. In this game, Chargers Pro Bowl left tackle Rashawn Slater would stand on the other side, not just any random offensive tackle. On his first pass rush snap, Herbig won clean off the edge. After Slater exited, Herbig warped up the field around new left tackle Trey Pipkins for the second sack.
Both sacks were clean wins all created by Herbig’s bend and explosiveness. He only weighs about 230 pounds, a smaller frame for an edge rusher. Yet, the run defense did not fall off, and he could tee off in the passing game.
“Just because you’re not starting doesn’t mean you’re not ready to play,” captain Cam Heyward said. “Herbig’s been ready for it. He had a great preseason. With Alex down, I think Herbig’s ready to step up.”
The one regret for Herbig in his first extended action was not recovering the fumble on his strip sack. Yet, even Mike Tomlin praised Herbig for his efforts each week. He has taken to learning from Highsmith and Watt from the day he came into the facility.
Herbig has his own unique talents among a group that boasts two of the better edge rushers in the entire NFL. Without those two, his deeper repertoire of moves may not have been honed. Yet, Herbig is now breaking out like a star in his own right, and Pittsburgh might go from two star edge rushers to three star rushers in a blink of an eye.