Two members of the Pittsburgh Steelers rookie class in Nick Herbig and Darnell Washington have each garnered praise at various points of camp for how they’ve performed. In backs on backers, the two have occasionally run into each other and head coach Mike Tomlin praised the energy they provide.
“Both guys are really urgent. Just by virtue of what they do, those guys are gonna come together from time to time. Just really enjoying the competitive atmosphere that those type of matchups provide us,” Tomlin said during his press conference on Saturday.
Herbig and Washington were both known for their motor coming out of the draft, with Washington being one of the best blocking tight ends to come out in years and Herbig being a guy who plays like his hair on his fire. When those two meet, it really is a case of iron sharpening iron.
The two of them met three times on Saturday, according to Alex Kozora’s camp diary, with Washington winning two reps and Herbig winning one. That’s not an unexpected result, given Washington has a massive size advantage and his blocking is his best trait. But Herbig’s been a lot better than I’ve expected at outside linebacker, and both guys can make an impact as rookies.
While Washington is probably going to be limited to a blocker and red zone threat, Herbig can be a situational pass rusher and it wouldn’t surprise me if both of those guys come up in big spots at some point for Pittsburgh. The energy they bring coupled with their motor is something that will help them see the field in different situations, with Herbig looking like he could be a star on special teams at the very minimum.
Getting two rookies hungry to prove themselves in the 1-on-1 situation that backs on backers provides is something that is going to fire the team up and bring max effort from both of them. No one wants to get stood up or embarrassed by a player that’s essentially at the same developmental point as them in their careers, so each guy is going to want to do what he can to get the win. When it’s two players who are already high-motor players like Herbig and Washington, the stakes are surely upped.
Both Herbig and Washington are exciting rookies, and while they might not have a huge impact in Year One, they’ll certainly play a role and it’s going to be fun to see how their careers develop. Both could end up being very good players for the Steelers.
