The Pittsburgh Steelers tapped into the Andy Weidl connection in free agency. Two of their biggest signings to beef up their offensive line had a connection to the Philadelphia Eagles while Weidl was there. Guards Isaac Seumalo and Nate Herbig each had a significant impact on the offensive line in their time as Eagles, and their former head coach has been singing their praises.
Today, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni gave both Seumalo and Herbig big endorsements when meeting with the media. Only the coach for two seasons in Philadelphia, Sirianni said Seumalo played a huge role in the Eagles’ ascension to the top of the NFL due to his smarts and physical ability.
“I think the world of both the players,” Sirianni said in a video posted by Amazing Fishing BD. “Isaac was a big part of everything that we had done these last five years. I’ve only been here for two, but Isaac’s been awesome. He’s going out there and he plays his hardest every day. He’s smart, he’s tough, he’s physical, and obviously we’ll miss him.”
Seumalo was a huge part of an Eagles unit that was graded as the best offensive line in the NFL by PFF. Playing mostly right guard in Philadelphia, Seumalo will likely move to left guard in Pittsburgh where he does have experience. The smart, experienced Seumalo will be an upgrade over Kevin Dotson, who while having his moments, has been very inconsistent over his career.
Before the Steelers signed Seumalo, they signed Nate Herbig. He played in Philadelphia from 2019-2021 before making a pitstop in East Rutherford, New Jersey, as a member of the New York Jets. While Sirianni only coached Herbig for one season, he still spoke glowingly of his time with him.
“I just think Nate adds great value, great depth. He always fits in well with all the guys, the guys really like Nate,” Sirianni said. “And Nate played a lot of valuable minutes for us and a lot of valuable games for us in 2021 and dating back, I can’t speak of that. But in ’21 he stepped in and did a lot of good things when we were in a run to get into the playoffs.”
In 2021 with the Eagles, Herbig played 481 snaps and allowed only one sack. Herbig is a depth piece and has been for most of his career. He has also shown the ability to play as a starter when needed. Bringing in a guy like Herbig, who has starting experience on a playoff team, is important because there is no way the Steelers offensive line stays healthy again like last year.
This offseason the Steelers have beefed up their depth on the offensive line with players who have had success elsewhere in the league. While the additions of Seumalo and Herbig are not going to turn the Steelers offensive line into a top-five unit, they will make that group better — and not leads to panic if one of James Daniels or Seumalo go down with injury as the Steelers have a capable back up in Herbig behind them.
