The Pittsburgh Steelers will get OLB Alex Highsmith back this week, barring a late setback, which puts into question how big of a role OLB Nick Herbig will play. Herbig has excelled over the last few weeks with Highsmith out, and defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said that Herbig has earned the right to keep playing a lot of snaps. Appearing on The Pomp And Joe Show on 93.7 Fan, Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette predicted that Herbig and Highsmith will split snaps against the Browns on Sunday.
“He’s earned the right to be out there, and T.J.’s obviously gonna be there, but Nick Herbig and Alex Highsmith, I’m guessing by game time it’s gonna be 50-50,” Fittipaldo said.
Herbig has 2.5 sacks over his last two games in addition to a forced fumble, and he had an interception in Week 2. He’s been one of the best pass rushers in the league since he took on a full-time role. But Highsmith deserves to play too, as he’s a Pro Bowl-caliber pass rusher. The Steelers have options, as they can deploy their Bronco package where they use three outside linebackers in T.J. Watt, Highsmith and Herbig.
But with Highsmith returning from injury this week, he may not be fully ready to handle a full-time role. It would make sense to limit him a little bit, especially with a more-than-capable replacement in Herbig.
Down the line, having three elite pass rushers does give the Steelers a lot of flexibility. Their pass rush has the potential to be one of the best in the league, and Herbig’s development has been one of the most positive developments for the Steelers this year. Watt is still playing at an extremely high level, and having two players opposite him who can cause headaches for opposing offenses makes it tough for teams to pay as much attention to Watt.
The bottom line is that the Steelers will have plenty of opportunities to keep Herbig on the field. On Sunday, that may come at the expense of some of Highsmith’s snaps, but that won’t necessarily be the case the rest of the season. The potential of having all three outside linebackers on the field at the same time more often is an exciting one, and once Highsmith is fully back to 100%, the Steelers’ defense has a chance to really take a leap and become a dangerous unit.
