Player: OLB Nick Herbig
Stock Value: Up
Reasoning: The Steelers are showing no indications that they intend to re-sign veteran OLB Markus Golden. They aren’t seriously exploring the edge defender draft class, either. Both of these are early indications that they envision a bigger role for Nick Herbig as he moves into his second season.
If I were running the Pittsburgh Steelers, I would already have a contract offer on the table for Markus Golden. Saying that, I can’t claim that I know they don’t have one prepared for him. The only thing that I know is that he is currently a free agent after finishing a Veteran Salary Benefit deal.
Generally, those things tend to add up to a team having no interest in signing a player, or very little. We saw the same thing with CB James Pierre and WR Miles Boykin, both of whom found new homes. Both of them signed Veteran Salary Benefit deals without even getting the maximum allowed signing bonus to qualify.
Assuming that it’s not Golden holding up the reunion, I’m inclined to take that as an indication that the Steelers want Nick Herbig to take on a bigger role. The 2023 rookie impressed in under 200 defensive snaps last season, racking up three sacks. He played quite extensively on special teams, but he can contribute more defensively.
Herbig may be the next man up behind T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith moving forward. He already proved last season that he is capable of playing at the NFL level at his size. The only question is how he can hold up for an entire game.
Throughout the entire year, Herbig only played more than 20 snaps in a single game once. That was the game against the New England Patriots then both Watt and Highsmith suffered concussions. He played 45 snaps and finished with seven tackles, including a TFL, but no real pass-rushing success.
That’s how it goes sometimes, though. Just because he didn’t get a sack in his most extensive playing time doesn’t mean he would struggle with increased work. But how much will he play per game as the third rusher when everybody is healthy? How willing are the coaches to take Highsmith or Watt off the field, who don’t volunteer to do so?
As the season progresses, Steelers players’ stocks rise and fall. The nature of the evaluation differs with the time of year, with in-season considerations being more often short-term. Considerations in the offseason often have broader implications, particularly when players lose their jobs, or the team signs someone. This time of year is full of transactions, whether minor or major.
A bad game, a new contract, an injury, a promotion—any number of things affect a player’s value. Think of it as a stock on the market, based on speculation. You’ll feel better about a player after a good game, or worse after a bad one. Some stock updates are minor, while others are likely to be quite drastic, so bear in mind the degree. I’ll do my best to explain the nature of that in the reasoning section of each column.
