The Pittsburgh Steelers had a pretty ugly preseason. The team went 0-3 in games against the Houston Texans, Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions. The main issue in these games was on the offensive side of the ball where Arthur Smith's unit really struggled to get going, regardless of who was on the field.
Obviously, preseason success isn't always indicative of what's to come in the regular season, so it might not be too much to worry about. Last season, we saw Pittsburgh dominate in the preseason and move the ball efficiently on offense, and then do the complete opposite in the regular season. There seemed to be more negatives than positives on offense overall, but pass rusher Nick Herbig was certainly a bright spot on the other side of the ball.
Herbig dominated off the edge in this preseason, having 3.5 sacks and a forced fumble in the final two games against the Bills and Lions. When Herbig is on the field he has the ability to kill drives and be an absolute game-wrecker.
The problem is that he might not be on the field very much come the regular season. During a Steelers preseason recap on NBC Sports , former NFL quarterback, Chris Simms talked about what he saw from Herbig. "Every week, I watch him and I just go ******' a.
He's a starter on almost every team in football except the Steelers." Herbig is surely one of the 64 best pass rushers in football and would more than likely start on just about every other team outside of Pittsburgh, however the Steelers have two of the best pass rushers in the NFL in T.J.
Watt and Alex Highsmith . Having three high-quality outside linebackers is a great problem to have, but Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin needs to find a way to get Herbig on the field more than he was last season. Herbig only played 191 defensive snaps in 2023 and Watt and Highsmith both played over 900 defensive snaps.
The Steelers Could Use Herbig More To Keep Watt and Highsmith Healthy Down The Stretch The Steelers are a completely different team with and without Watt. Since Watt was drafted in 2017, the team is 1-10 in games that Watt doesn't play in. Watt is about to turn 30 years old and has dealt with some minor injuries over the past few seasons.
As important as he is to the defense, he probably doesn't need to have another season with 900+ snaps on defense, especially when his backup is a legitimate threat as a pass rusher. Last season, the Steelers had to play without Watt in the Wild Card round against Josh Allen and the Bills. The more Herbig is on the field, the more likely it is that Watt is healthy in December and January when the stakes are higher.
Herbig is only 22 years old and under contract with the Steelers for three more seasons. He has an extremely bright future in the NFL, but he might not even start before his contract ends. Highsmith is under contract for three more seasons and Watt will more than likely sign a contract extension before his deal ends in 2026.
Having an incredible backup edge rusher is great, but it doesn't sound as good when there's a lack of depth at other positions like cornerback and wide receiver. If the 2024 season ends and the team has pressing needs that seem more important than having three good pass rushers, General Manager Omar Khan could look into trading one of Pittsburgh's outside linebackers to improve another position group. It's really hard to say if Watt, Highsmith and Herbig will all be Steelers over the next few years, but for now, the outside linebacker position is a serious luxury in Pittsburgh.
This article first appeared on SteelerNation.com and was syndicated with permission..
