Now that the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2023 season is getting underway after the team finished above .500 but failing to make the postseason last year, we turn our attention to the next chapter of Steelers football and everything that entails. One thing that it means is that some stock evaluations are going to start taking on more specific contexts as we get into the season, reflecting more immediate plusses and minus rather than trends over long periods. The nature of the evaluation, whether short-term or long-term, will be noted in the reasoning section below.
Player: OLB Nick Herbig
Stock Value: Up
Reasoning: The rookie outside linebacker didn’t get a lot of playing time, but he made it count when he was on the field. He recorded his first career sack against the Los Angeles Rams, one of only two on the day for the defense.
The Steelers got a total of one sack from the backup outside linebacker position all of last season. Considering T.J. Watt missed seven games, that’s really saying something that the guys that they had behind him last year couldn’t muster up more.
In 2023, with Watt and Alex Highsmith healthy and productive, the Steelers already have three sacks from their backups. Rookie Nick Herbig got the first of his career on Sunday playing against the Los Angeles Rams, and he did so be emulating what he’d seen Highsmith do earlier in the game.
While Highsmith didn’t finish his play with the sack, Herbig did, though it should be said that he also benefited from a late start from the left tackle. It was a combination speed/dip rush technique, which is made rather effective when the tackle doesn’t get off the line of scrimmage. Herbig’s quickness off the line only added to it.
The play came on first down and ultimately led to the Rams facing a 3rd and 11, which the defense unfortunately allowed them to convert. They ended up getting a field goal out of the series after reaching the Steelers’ 23-yard line but not because of Herbig.
The rookie also had two other tackles in the game, one a run stop on defense and the other on special teams on a kickoff. It was the second time in his career he recorded three or more tackles in a game, even though he’s never played more than 17 snaps. It was only 12 against the Rams.
Like Herbig, Markus Golden also plays relatively well when he is on the field subbing for Highsmith and Watt. The problem is that the Steelers have the best pass-rush tandem in the league, so it’s hard to justify leaving Watt and Highsmith on the sideline for too long.
The more comfortable they get with Herbig and Golden—and the more Herbig does with his opportunities—the more apt the coaches will be to allow them to take snaps away from their stars. Sunday’s sack was a big step in that direction.
