On a per-snap basis, Nick Herbig was one of the most efficient pass rushers in the league last season as a rookie. In 74 pass-rush snaps, he registered three sacks, eight total pressures, and two forced fumbles. That included a game-changing strip-sack against the Seattle Seahawks in a must-win game for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
With Markus Golden off the roster, Herbig is stepping into a bigger role as the primary OLB depth behind T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith. By all accounts, he has taken a step forward this offseason. Even his stature looks more like an NFL pass rusher, various Steelers insiders noted during spring practices.
That momentum translated to the preseason in a big way. According to Pro Football Focus, Herbig posted an “elite” score of 93.1 overall for the three preseason games. That included a 92.6 pass-rush grade and a 68.7 run-defense grade. He played 32 snaps, and had 3.5 sacks, six total pressures, and a forced fumble. Each of the last two preseason games were multi-sack performances for Herbig.
In each of the three preseason games, Herbig posted 68.7, 76.8, and 97.0 overall grades respectively. If nobody from today’s preseason games trumps his grade, he will finish the preseason as the highest-graded edge rusher in the league. Last year he was the third-highest behind Denico Autry and Charles Snowden.
Along with his stellar grade, PFF named him the Player of the Game.
“Steelers edge rusher Nick Herbig played just nine snaps against the Lions, but he put on yet another exceptional outing to cap an impressive preseason,” PFF’s Mark Chichester wrote. “Herbig rushed the passer six times, producing two sacks and a hurry, good for a 50% pass-rush win rate.”
Here is Herbig’s second sack from yesterday’s game.
Herbig spent a lot of time this offseason working with guys like T.J. Watt, Keeanu Benton, and Alex Highsmith. It appears that work paid off. He credited one of his sacks against the Lions to something Watt taught him over the offseason.
This is his second-straight preseason with an “elite” grade from PFF. Last year he finished with a slightly lower grade of 92.5. These things don’t always translate into the regular season, but Herbig posted a very respectable 80.7 overall grade in his rookie season.
Watt and Highsmith, being two of the highest-paid edge rushers in the league, will be starting. But Herbig has definitely earned himself a greater share of snaps off the bench. He impacts the game too much to keep him on the sideline. That is a great situation to be in for a team that has historically suffered when Watt is unable to play due to injury. They can all stay fresh throughout the season with a solid rotation.
