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‘Can Help Take Your Career To A Whole Other Level:’ LaMarr Woodley Praises Mike Tomlin’s Eye For Talent

Mike Tomlin

Mike Tomlin has been the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2007, and during that time, the team has undergone countless changes. More recently, the Steelers have struggled in the playoffs, but their roster doesn’t lack talent. Former Steelers OLB LaMarr Woodley thinks Tomlin’s ability to reload the Steelers’ roster is part of what makes him special.

“We’ve always been good with finding players in the draft that nobody thinks can go out there and perform, but Coach Tomlin was always able to identify those different players,” Woodley said Wednesday on the Off the Edge with Cam Jordan podcast. “One guy goes down, here comes the next guy.

“Russell Wilson gonna leave, here comes Aaron Rodgers. People think, ‘Why did we get Aaron Rodgers?’ When you get with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Coach Tomlin, he can help take your career to a whole other level.”

There are many examples throughout Tomlin’s Steelers tenure of players having more success with Pittsburgh versus when they leave. Antonio Brown, Le’Veon Bell, and Mike Wallace are just a few players the Steelers drafted but went on to struggle with different teams.

There are also examples of Tomlin bringing in veterans who experienced slight career resurgences. Some examples are Joe Haden and DeAngelo Williams. Rodgers looks like he could join that list.

Perhaps where the Steelers have been best at reloading is outside linebacker. Even before Tomlin got to Pittsburgh, the Steelers have had stars at that position. Woodley even highlighted a current example of that happening.

“That’s what we’re starting to see in one of our outside linebackers,” he said. “[Alex] Highsmith is down, and number 51, [Nick] Herbig, he’s been coming in on the opposite side of [T.J.] Watt, he’s been playing pretty good.”

Herbig looks like the next in a long line of productive Steelers edge rushers. Highsmith has been a solid player since taking over for Bud Dupree in 2021. However, he’s dealing with an ankle injury, forcing Herbig to step up. He’s performed well, too, already posting 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble in three games.

Herbig was a fourth-round draft pick by the Steelers in 2023. There were questions about his ability to be a productive outside linebacker because of his size. Tomlin and the Steelers didn’t let that scare them off, though. Now, Herbig is a key piece of their defense.

That’s similar to how Woodley eventually got his start. During his rookie year, James Harrison and Clark Haggans were the Steelers’ starters. However, in 2008, Haggans left in free agency, and Woodley stepped into his spot. He didn’t miss a beat, either, posting 11.5 sacks that year.

Perhaps Herbig will experience a similar jump once he becomes a full-time starter. The Steelers have a full outside linebacker room, but that’s a good problem to have. It gives them a healthy stable of pass rushers, which has usually been the strength of their team.

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