Steelers Rookie Nick Herbig Absolutely Had An Impressive Performance In Debut

On Friday night, the Pittsburgh Steelers kicked off their 2023 preseason with a victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Many fans were keeping their eyes peeled for splash plays made by rookies or players that are new to the team. Newly acquired linebacker, Kwon Alexander, had a great game as did second-year wide receiver, Calvin Austin III. However, the player that possibly had the best performance in his Steelers debut on Friday night was rookie outside linebacker, Nick Herbig. 

The rookie outside linebacker stood out in the team's first preseason game, recording one-and-a-half sacks. This was a good sight to see as he was slightly hurt over the last week and a half with a hip flexor injury and there were questions about whether or not he would participate in practice this week and the game. Steelers fans everywhere were impressed with Herbig's performance, and NFL insider Brian Baldinger seemed to have taken notice as well.

Baldinger was an offensive linemen in the NFL for 12 seasons, so he knows what it takes to be a good edge rusher and how to beat an offensive lineman. Baldinger tweeted out some praise for Herbig, even studying his tape and pointing out the specifics that he loved from Herbig's technique. He even noticed some similarities between Herbig and his mentor TJ Watt.

"The Steelers can find wide receivers and pass rushers. This guy is following TJ Watt around like a little puppy. From the same school too." 

It has been reported that Watt and Herbig knew each other since before the 2023 NFL Draft and that Watt has always helped him with his game and pass rushing strategy. So now, the Steelers have a pretty lethal set of pass rushers on their roster. A former Defensive Player Of The Year in Watt, and his mentee, Herbig. They also have the leader in forced fumbles during the 2022 season in Alex Highsmith and Markus Golden who has eclipsed the double-digit sack milestone in three seasons, most recently in 2021. 

Steelers Drafting Herbig

It was a priority of Omar Khan and the rest of the front office to add more depth to the outside linebacker position during the 2023 offseason. Although the Steelers have two of the best outside linebackers in the NFL in Watt and Highsmith, they felt the position room was too top heavy and wanted to add some more pieces through the draft and free agency.

This was especially important to the team after a season where Watt was injured during the Steelers first game, and missed the seven games after that and never really returned to full health throughout the year. 

In order to provide some depth in case of any similar injury this season, the Steelers drafted Herbig in the fourth-round of the 2023 NFL draft out of Wisconsin. Which is the same school as Watt, so it can be assumed that the connection Watt and Herbig already had played a factor in the team adding Herbig to the pass-rushing arsenal. The Steelers also made a move in free agency, signing Golden. Golden is a reliable and experienced player who can provide depth and knowledge for the outside linebacker room. Even if Golden doesn't see the field much, his experience alone will be valuable for the team. 

With Highsmith recently signing his large extension with the Steelers and Watt being well, Watt, Herbig will surely be coming off of the bench during games in the 2023 season. However, his performance so far during training camp and the preseason game versus Tampa Bay has to make the coaching staff pretty confident to put him into any game to give Watt a break.
This is extremely important for Pittsburgh, if they have a large lead on a team they can let Herbig play some more snaps and gain more experience rather than risking injury to Watt. Also, Watt won't have to hesitate if he needs a rest for a play since he can trust Herbig and his play style. 

What did you think of Herbig's performance in his first preseason game Steeler Nation? Let us know in the comments below!

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