On the same day outside linebackers coach Denzel Martin viewed the Pittsburgh Steelers as having three starters at the position, defensive coordinator Teryl Austin offered even stronger words to back Nick Herbig’s place on the team. Asked about juggling a three-man rotation once Alex Highsmith returns from an ankle injury, Austin didn’t mince words about Herbig’s role.
“Absolutely,” Austin said Wednesday via the team website when asked if the defense would find ways to keep Herbig on the field. “We are not going to limit Nick Herbig. He is showing up every week. He is disruptive. He’s a really good player for us and we’re gonna come continue to find ways to get him on the field.”
Austin’s comments weren’t an outright admission Herbig would remain a starter when Highsmith returns and his end quote of “find ways to get him on the field” suggests he’ll return to No. 3 duty once Highsmith is cleared. But Austin’s words are a strong vote of confidence in Herbig’s favor. With good reason. Herbig has been a consistently impactful player.
Despite missing the season opener with a hamstring injury, Herbig has racked up eight quarterback hits, four tackles for a loss, 2.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and one interception. He has more QB hits than T.J. Watt and trails him by just a half-sack. Per our own charting, Herbig is averaging one pressure every 7.9 pass rush attempts. That’s much higher than Watt’s 13.1 figure, though Watt sees more offensive attention than Herbig.
Best known for his pass-rush prowess, Herbig’s improved against the run and isn’t a liability setting the edge.
While it’s easy to boast about Herbig, the harder part will be determining roles once the entire group gets healthy. Will the Steelers evenly rotate Highsmith and Herbig? Will Herbig play on more pass-rush downs? How often will the Steelers look to get all three on the field, as they’ve attempted to do in obvious passing situations. Excellent problems for any coaching staff to have but ones the team will have to figure out on the other side of the bye. Assuming Highsmith is healthy, that is.
