The Pittsburgh Steelers made some improvements to their roster from last year, but the strength of this team is still their pass rush. T.J. Watt is still one of the best players in the league period, and Alex Highsmith has developed into an elite player in his own right. However, Nick Herbig might be the secret weapon of that room, and based on some recent comments from Watt, it seems like he’s doing everything he can to improve.
Speaking on Movin’ The Chains with Jim Miller and Pat Kirwan on SiriusXM NFL Radio, Watt was asked about why he goes out to practice early.
“Once Herbig got last year as a guy from Wisconsin, and I’ve worked with him many times in the offseason,” Watt said. “Just had a good relationship with him back and forth. A young guy that loves to learn this position, learn about hands, and he actually came up with me and worked with me for two weeks this offseason.
“I try to get out to practice early with him. I just want things to be instinctual. I don’t want to be thinking out there on the football field. That starts with getting as many repetitions as possible.”
It’s been clear in training camp this year that Herbig is trying to soak up as much knowledge as possible. When James Harrison visited practice, Herbig took some time to learn from the legend. Little things like that matter. Herbig is using every available resource to his advantage, learning from Harrison and training with Watt.
It sounds like the inclusion of Herbig has rejuvenated Watt in a sense as well. Not that one of the best players in the NFL needed any more reason to stay hungry, but having a young guy to coach and teach seems to be something Watt is enjoying. The two have an obvious connection because they both played college ball at Wisconsin, and they also both have older brothers who made it to the NFL before them, so it seems that they’re bonding well.
Once upon a time, Watt was that young, raw rookie trying to learn everything he could. He had Harrison on the team to pick up tricks from, but his brother J.J. Watt was also a huge help. It looks like the student has become the teacher now. If Herbig goes on to have a successful career, this time spent with Watt will surely be a defining moment. The Steelers do have a history of churning out great pass rushers, and maybe Herbig is next in line. He’ll have to continue to work hard to unseat either Watt or Highsmith, though.
