The Pittsburgh Steelers put together yet another defensive masterclass in their 20-10 Week 3 win over the Los Angeles Chargers. While their offense showed signs of improvement, Pittsburgh’s defense deserves most of the credit for their 3-0 start. Second-year outside linebacker Nick Herbig has been one of the biggest stars on a Steelers defense that is overflowing with great players. Moving forward, there is no doubt that Nick Herbig should get more snaps and play a bigger role on the league’s best defense.
Nick Herbig Should Have Bigger Role on Steelers Defense
The Writing Was on the Wall
The belief that Herbig was due for a big year is not a new one. Rather, Herbig was marked as a breakout candidate well before the season started due to his truly elite per-snap production as a rookie. He was able to pressure opposing quarterbacks at a higher rate than T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, an eye-popping statistic that shows just how good Herbig was last year.
As the Steelers moved into their 2024 preseason action, it didn’t take long for Nick Herbig’s breakout season to go from a desire to a reality. Yes, it wasn’t always against starting-caliber opposition, but Herbig was simply dominant in the preseason. Slightly undersized for an NFL pass rusher, Herbig’s get-off, high motor, athleticism, and some pass-rushing technique were all on display.
Picking up Where He Left Off
When the regular season rolled around, it didn’t take Nick Herbig long to pick up where he left off in the preseason. So far in 2024, Herbig’s story is the same as it was last year. He is finding ways to produce in limited playing time. On just 53 snaps through three games, Herbig has been able to record two sacks, two tackles for loss, two quarterback hits, and a forced fumble.
Herbig replaced an injured Highsmith against the Chargers and there was no drop-off at the right outside linebacker position. There was a noticeable improvement. That’s right; the second-year fourth-round draft pick has been convincingly better than the player who signed a $68 million contract last offseason. Highsmith hasn’t been performing poorly, either. Herbig has just been that good every time he has been on the field.
#Steelers edge rusher ranks and grades from PFF entering Week 4:
T.J. Watt – 2nd (92.0 grade)
Nick Herbig – 3rd (91.7 grade)
Alex Highsmith – 35th (66.9 grade)— Tommy Jaggi (@TommyJaggi) September 23, 2024
More Than an Injury Fill-In
The discussion around Nick Herbig getting more playing time is a moot point, for now. Alex Highsmith’s injury against the Chargers was a repeat of a groin injury he suffered during training camp. There isn’t a timetable for his return, but it seems likely he will miss some time. For however long Highsmith is out, Herbig will be on the field for at least 70% of Pittsburgh’s defensive snaps each game.
However, Herbig’s expanded role should not go away when Highsmith returns from his groin injury. Before his injury, Highsmith was playing over 80% of the Steelers defensive snaps. The number for T.J. Watt has been over 90%. It would be wise for Pittsburgh to give those two more plays off moving forward. Pittsburgh’s last eight games of the season include all six of their divisional games and matchups with the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs. Rather than wear Highsmith and Watt out early in the year, Pittsburgh should leave some gas in the tank for the brutal stretch of games to end the season.
Luckily for the Steelers, they have Nick Herbig just itching to get more snaps. Being able to give Watt and Highsmith more breaks while not experiencing any drop-off in production is the perfect situation to be in.
Main Photo: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
