Pittsburgh Steelers OLB Nick Herbig didn’t log a lot of playing time in 2023. He saw the field on defense for only 191 snaps, which isn’t hugely surprising for a fourth-round draft pick. What was surprising was the impact Herbig had in that reduced role behind T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Markus Golden.
Herbig had three sacks, three quarterback hits, five tackles for a loss, 27 total tackles, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. Those are pretty efficient numbers for a rookie who didn’t see the field much. Will that snap count increase in 2024 with Golden off the roster and Herbig getting a full offseason to adapt to the NFL?
“You get used to NFL football the first year, the second year you get a jump because now you kind of understand the game,” Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said Wednesday per video from Steelers.com. “And that’s what I see with him. He understands what’s going on around him… When you look at what he did last year and the limited amount of reps he played, his impact was pretty good. So if he’s playing more this year, it wouldn’t surprise me. And I wouldn’t be like ‘We gotta get the other guys back in.’ I would be trustful of what he’s gonna do when he’s in the game.”
There is no better illustration of Herbig’s impact in limited snaps than the game against the Seattle Seahawks. He only played two defensive snaps in that game, but one snap in the fourth quarter is all it took for him to leave his mark. With the Steelers leading by only a touchdown, he single-handedly changed the course of the game.
Herbig lined up wide of Seahawks LT Charles Cross and despite a chip from RB Kenneth Walker III, Herbig found his way to QB Geno Smith from his blindside. Herbig swatted Smith’s throwing arm before wrapping him up, jarring the ball loose. Herbig then pounced on the loose ball for his lone fumble recovery on the season. The Steelers were able to kick the field goal on the resulting drive and held on to win.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Brian Batko came away from Steelers OTAs impressed by how Herbig looks in his second offseason with the team. If Herbig is more prepared and in better shape at this point than he was in his rookie year, that only means good things for the second-year pass rusher.
And that only means good things for the Steelers and Austin.
