Nick Herbig had ample reason to want the Pittsburgh Steelers to draft him, with only one argument against it. The Steelers already had T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, so finding the field wouldn’t be easy. He is forcing the issue already in his second season, though, and is truly a Steeler through and through.
That includes not taking the Steelers’ divisional opponents lightly. He knows one thing very clearly: The Baltimore Ravens, the Cleveland Browns, and the Cincinnati Bengals are the enemy. It doesn’t matter which one it is, they are all the villain in Herbig’s superhero movie.
The second-year outside linebacker joined Kevin Adams and Jersey Jerry on the Steel Here podcast recently. They asked him about which Steelers rival he hated the most, and Herbig gave the perfect answer. “All of them, bro. If they’re not Black and Gold, we ain’t friends”.
More than in the past, we have seen interdivisional cross-pollination in recent years. Former Steelers Mike Hilton and Arthur Maulet signed with the Bengals and Ravens, respectively. Larry Ogunjobi played for both the Browns and Bengals before signing with the Steelers. And Pittsburgh has four former Ravens on its current roster, including ILB Patrick Queen. Herbig is surrounded by guys who used to be the enemy.
Almost everyone ends up seeing the proverbial light in their new home, though. While Patrick Queen finds a better atmosphere with the Steelers, Maulet feels more at home in Baltimore. One hopes that Herbig will never go through a similar transition down the line.
A 2023 fourth-round pick, Nick Herbig flashed as a rookie with three sacks on just 191 defensive snaps. He is in line for a bigger role this year, but he is still behind Watt and Highsmith. Watt isn’t going anywhere, and Highsmith is under contract through 2027.
Herbig’s rookie contract runs through 2026, so where will things stand by then? Who knows? That’s three years away, and a lot of things can happen between now and then. One would hope that Herbig looks like a starting-caliber player at that time, whether he’s starting or not. But if he does and the Steelers don’t have a starting job for him, he will have to seek his fortunes elsewhere.
But that’s a concern for down the road, not the present. For now, Herbig knows: Ravens bad. Bengals bad. Browns bad. Steelers good. That’s all that matters in the AFC North when you wear the Black and Gold.
