When the Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Washington Commanders in Week 10, they should be bringing reinforcements. Outside linebacker Nick Herbig thinks he’ll be one of them, hopeful to play on the other side of the team’s bye.
“I’m optimistic about it,” he told reporters Wednesday about playing against the Commanders via The Trib’s Chris Adamski. “Gonna get out there and see how I feel.”
Herbig has been out of the lineup since injuring his hamstring in the third quarter of the Steelers’ Week 5 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Yet to practice since, it sounds like he’ll be working with the team when it returns to the practice field next Wednesday. Once he returns, he’ll continue to being a key rotational piece of Pittsburgh’s pass rush behind a now-healthy Alex Highsmith and T.J. Watt.
Before the injury, Herbig did what he’s always done. Make plays. Through his first 4.5 games, he recorded eight tackles (three for a loss) with 2.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. Known for his efficiency, our charting showed he was generating a pressure once every eight pass-rush reps, a ridiculously high number. To put that in perspective, it’s a slightly better pressure number than what T.J. Watt posted in 2023 (8.1).
Herbig might not be the only Steeler to return. The team could also get back starting center Zach Frazier, RB/KR Cordarrelle Patterson, LB Tyler Matakevich, and OT Dylan Cook, all of whom have missed multiple games this year. QB Justin Fields, who sat out Monday night with a minor hamstring injury, could also return.
While it’s been tough watching from the sidelines, Herbig remains upbeat even while rehabbing.
“I love watching my teammates play,” he said. “Especially when T.J. and Alex make plays. You see other guys like Beanie Bishop [Jr.] making plays. That just brings a smile to your face. Because you know how hard those guys have worked.”
Herbig is working hard to get back to joining them in uniform.
