Coming out of the bye week ahead of the Week 10 matchup against the Washington Commanders, the Pittsburgh Steelers appear set to get healthier on both sides of the ball.
There is optimism that they’ll get a significant boost defensively, particularly in the form of second-year outside linebacker Nick Herbig.
Herbig has missed the last three games with a hamstring injury, putting the Steelers at a significant disadvantage from a depth standpoint at the outside linebacker position. But now, ahead of the matchup with the Commanders, chances appear good that Herbig — coming off the bye week — will make his return to the Steelers’ lineup.
“It’s gonna mean a lot [to get Herbig back]. That guy, he’s a good, young dynamic rusher, and any time as many of those as I can amass, I’ll take ’em, ’cause they’re gonna help you,” outside linebackers coach Denzel Martin said of the potential return of Herbig, according to video via the Steelers’ YouTube page. “Gonna see it in the fourth quarters, you’re gonna see it all over the game. But those guys are game changers, and we need them.”
Though the pairing of Alex Highsmith and T.J. Watt has been very good since Highsmith returned from a groin injury in Week 7 against the New York Jets, adding that piece in Herbig would give the Steelers that much more of a boost at the position. That would help lessen the snaps of guys like Jeremiah Moon and Ade Ogundeji. While those two have played admirably in limited snaps, they don’t come close to the impact of the talent level of Herbig, who flashed it time and time again early in the season.
Prior to his hamstring injury, Herbig had amassed 2.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery, playing just 142 defensive snaps to that point in the season. In those 142 snaps, Herbig rushed the passer 79 times and generated nine pressures.
Herbig graded out at a 90.7 pass rush grade from Pro Football Focus, which was largely created off a stellar performance against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 3 when he came on in relief of an injured Highsmith and recorded two sacks and a forced fumble in the Steelers’ 20-10 win.
Now that he is seemingly on track to play, adding that weapon back to a pass rush that is coming off two dominant showings in recent weeks should be a scary thought for many teams on the schedule down the stretch, starting with the Commanders and rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels.
We’ll see what Herbig’s availability looks like this week in the Steelers’ return from the bye. He’s optimistic himself he’ll get back on the field, so that’s encouraging for the Steelers.
