Something new we’ll do daily for Steelers Depot. A quick hit of some Pittsburgh Steelers and Steelers-related stories that may not require a complete and dedicated article but nuggets worth mentioning and passing onto you guys.
Your Depot Daily for Sept. 5th.
Former Steelers DL Isaiah Buggs Benched By Lions
Ex-Steelers DL Isaiah Buggs made Internet waves over the weekend with this cryptic tweet. We now know what it was about. For undisclosed reasons, Buggs has been benched by Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell for the team’s Week One opener Thursday night against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Buggs was drafted by Pittsburgh in the sixth round back in 2019. His inconsistent play and mental errors led to his release but he revived his career with the Lions, becoming a leader and playing nearly 800 snaps in 2022 with Detroit. Hopefully he’s able to get past this speed bump and have a strong season.
T.J. Watt, Kenny Pickett Among Merchandise Leaders
T.J. Watt and Kenny Pickett cracked the top 15 of the NFL’s merchandise leaders, Watt coming in 10th and Pickett sliding into the 15th spot. That’s ahead of the likes of Jacksonville Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence and Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert.
The top three names are Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, New York Jets QB Aaron Rodgers, and Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow. If Pickett has a big year, he should crack the top 10.
Herbig Sleeper DROY
Tuesday, CBS Sports Josh Edwards released Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year rankings. While EDGE rusher Nick Herbig wasn’t listed among the top five DROY candidates, Edwards did name him a sleeper at +5000 odds.
“Herbig has been a standout in Pittsburgh’s preseason. He is learning from fellow Wisconsin pass rusher T.J. Watt and is playing alongside his brother, Nate. The only limiting factor for the fourth-round pick is opportunity.”
It’ll take an injury for Herbig to see the kind of playing time to even crack the door to Rookie of the Year consideration, not to mention Herbig actually producing at a high level, but the buzz around him continues. Second-round CB Joey Porter Jr. isn’t even mentioned here.
Brandon Aiyuk On Steelers Secondary
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk recently spoke with beat writers about facing the Steelers’ secondary, one that looks different than the unit Pittsburgh had last season. In some ways, that’s helpful for a guy like Aiyuk, who faced Patrick Peterson’s Minnesota Vikings in 2021 for a regular-season game and again in the summer of 2022.
“We’ve seen Peterson a couple times…I think we saw him last year as well in joint practices,” Aiyuk said.
Aiyuk praised the play of the Steelers’ secondary in their preseason finale against Atlanta while also paying Pittsburgh’s wideouts a compliment. Aiyuk led the 49ers in receptions, yards, and touchdowns last year and might be one of the most underrated receivers in football.
Herbig Brothers Give Back
Native Hawaiians, Nick and Nate Herbig helped raise $25,000 to the Lahainaluna High School football program and athletics department to help them recover after being impacted by the terrible fires in Maui.
“On behalf of me, Nick and the Steelers organization, everything you guys have gone through. I didn’t know what to say, how I can help, but we wanted to help,” Nate told the team via a Zoom call, as noted by Steelers.com’s Teresa Varley.
Pittsburgh has several Hawaii-born players on their roster, including NT Breiden Fehoko. The team has perhaps the highest number of Polynesian players, which include the Herbigs, the Fehokos, and RB Jaylen Warren.
