Like Nick Herbig, the Pittsburgh Steelers are right where we are: sitting at home being mad. Although they managed to make the playoffs in 2023, they lost in the first round. It has now been seven years without a postseason victory, the longest drought in franchise history. The question is what to do next.
The first step is always taking stock of what happened and what is left. That’s part of the exit meeting process, in which coaches meet with each player. They discuss the season and their expectations moving forward—and potentially their role within it.
While we might not know all the details about what goes on between head coach Mike Tomlin and his players during these exit meetings, we do know how we would conduct those meetings if they were let up to us. So here are the Depot’s exit meetings for the Steelers’ roster following the 2023 season.
Player: Nick Herbig
Position: Outside Linebacker
Experience: 1 Year
Some questioned if Nick Herbig could hold up at the NFL level playing on the edge at his size with his arm length, which includes some of us at Steelers Depot. He only played about 200 snaps during his rookie season, but as they say, so far, so good.
A fourth-round pick out of Wisconsin, Herbig comes with certain advantages. He has NFL bloodlines with older brother Nate Herbig. He got to lean on Nate to show him the ropes, and also to do so directly. The Steelers already signed Nate in free agency before drafting Nick, the former campaigning for it.
Outside of his own NFL bloodlines, his alumnus status proved beneficial since he forged a relationship with T.J. Watt. He and Watt talked shop years before the Steelers drafted Herbig to back Watt up. Arriving in Pittsburgh, he got to be with his older brother and an ideal role model in his room. Honestly, you could hardly ask for a more ideal set of circumstances. But don’t think for a second the Steelers didn’t realize that. I’m sure they recognized that setup gave Herbig the environment where he could reach his potential, and you can’t argue with the results.
In just 191 defensive snaps played, Herbig registered three sacks, five tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles. He forced the ball out on one strip-sack and recovered it himself. He also played an astronomical 352 snaps on special teams, which accounts for some of his 27 total tackles.
Markus Golden got the top billing as reserve outside linebacker last season behind Watt and Alex Highsmith. Do the Steelers want to continue that pecking order, or do they believe Herbig is ready for that role? Golden is a free agent this offseason, but he could land a better offer if Pittsburgh wants to advance Herbig.
