The Pittsburgh Steelers had an embarrassment of riches at pass rusher in 2024, and they only got deeper with fourth-round rookie Jack Sawyer. The top backup will continue to be Nick Herbig, which is a great situation for Pittsburgh. According to The 33rd Team’s Steve Palazzolo, he’s not only the best backup in the league, but would likely start on many teams in the league.
“Nick Herbig is edge rusher one for a lot of teams around the NFL and he’s EDGE3,” Palazzolo said via Check The Mic on YouTube.
There are plenty of teams that struggle to field a solid tandem of pass rushers, let alone the three or four that Pittsburgh now has. And they’ve managed to do it with one first-round pick in 2017, a third-round pick in 2020, and a pair of fourth-round picks over the last few drafts.
If not for T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith ahead of him, Herbig might already be a solid—perhaps even great—starting outside linebacker.
He’s been nothing short of excellent in the limited opportunities he’s received over his first two NFL seasons. Appearing in 30 games with just five starts and 606 defensive snaps, Herbig has 8.5 sacks, six forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, and 10 tackles for loss. He has a Watt-like knack for making big plays. It’s probably no surprise that Watt has been his biggest mentor and workout partner in the offseason since entering the league.
His 606 snaps across two seasons aren’t even a full season’s worth of snaps for what a starter would receive. And his stat line in those 606 snaps would be worthy of Pro Bowl consideration.
The only question with Herbig is how the rest of his early-career arc will play out. If he’s playing a lot, then Watt or Highsmith got injured. And with Watt’s new extension, he and Highsmith are locked in as the Steelers’ top two outside linebackers until at least 2028 when Highsmith is scheduled to become a free agent. Herbig’s rookie deal will be up after the 2026 season. The Steelers could potentially extend Herbig next offseason, but it’s hard to determine his value and whether that would be worth it for a backup for a couple more seasons. And Sawyer could make that decision even more difficult if he proves anything between now and then.
For now, the Steelers can enjoy the benefits of a deep and talented group of pass rushers. They can worry about what to do with their incredible depth later.
