For the second straight preseason, second-year Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker Nick Herbig looked rather remarkable while getting after quarterbacks consistently.
After a strong rookie season that saw him record three sacks and force two fumbles in limited action, Herbig hit the ground running again this summer and was one of the best defensive pieces for the Steelers throughout the preseason.
He capped another great preseason with a sparkling performance against the Detroit Lions Saturday inside Ford Field, recording two sacks, a forced fumble and one quarterback hit, giving him 3.5 sacks in the preseason.
Following the 24-17 loss to the Lions to close the preseason, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin spoke highly of Herbig.
“You know, he’s behaving like a guy that’s been a lap around the track, really,” Tomlin said of Herbig, according to video via the Steelers’ YouTube page. “We want to see significant growth in all those second-year players, and I think really he’s an example of that, but he’s not alone. We’ve liked what we’ve seen from guys like Spencer Anderson as well. He’s just taken the jump. He’s been there before. He’s finding his footing, man. He wants to be impactful, and obviously we’re gonna find a role for a guy like that, whether he’s quote unquote a starter or not, when he’s got an opportunity to be significant.
“And he’s shown that not only in stadium, but in the team development work.”
Having that second lap around the track, not only at the NFL level but in the Steelers’ defensive scheme, is huge.
Last season, Herbig was a bit wide-eyed while making the jump to the pros. There were questions about his size and ability to stick on the edge, but he quickly dispelled those, getting off to a fast start in the preseason.
Then in the regular season, Herbig started to see more and more time and started to make an impact, finishing his rookie season strong.
With that experience under his belt, a big second-year jump was expected of Herbig. So far, that appears to be the case. He’s been downright dominant albeit in limited action.
After recording 1.5 sacks against the Bills in just 13 snaps, Herbig took it to another level on Saturday against the Lions. He recorded two sacks on Detroit’s Hendon Hooker early in the game, creating a turnover in the process. He looks to be in midseason form with his ability to turn the corner and get after the quarterback.
Now that Herbig has another great preseason under his belt, big things are expected now as the key OLB3 behind T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith. He’s going to carve out a larger role than usual. Hopefully that leads to more splash plays from the Wisconsin product.
