Steelers' Nick Herbig Stole A Trick From A Rival All-Pro That Forever Changed His Career

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been a great example in the NFL when talking about star edge rushers. Over the years, they have had premier guys at the position and it just keeps deepening the more time goes on. Recently though, this unit has been excellent and the money talks for itself. TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith have been the elite names for years in Pittsburgh and now, Nick Herbig joins them as a three-headed monster. 

Herbig just earned a $100 million contract extension, despite being third on the depth chart behind to star players. Pittsburgh has been so great at that position that they need to keep paying these players top dollar, considering they have been excellent at developing them and the players' production has matched the price. Most recently, Herbig's breakout has been significant because of his limited snaps. Regardless of how often he is on the field, he continues to make an impact when he's there, warranting the high salary.

His speed is one of his most valuable attributes at the position. He's quick around the tackle, making him harder to block and gets to the ball fast enough to make a play before the ball is thrown by the quarterback. Some of his moves that he uses to win the one-on-one against opposing tackles, he learned watching a great edge rusher in Chandler Jones. 

While Herbig is significantly smaller than Jones, Herbig saw a move that he really liked from Jones, but didn't think it would work with his size. That was until he talked to former teammate Markus Golden about it and after some motivation from the veteran, it helped change his career. He recalled this moment on The Breiden Fehoko Show, discussing a sack against the Minnesota Vikings in 2025. 

"I can’t take all the credit," Herbig explained. "The first time I saw anyone do it was Chandler Jones. His wasn’t a one arm, it was a two-hand because he had long arms. Jones was a freak off the edge... I would always be like, I wanna try that, but I have short arms."

Without watching film, Herbig might not have been able to break out and earn a gigantic contract, but adding a new trick up his sleeve helped him develop into a star.

This will absolutely make opponents think a little more when facing him. 

"So my rookie year, Markus Golden was with us and he knows Chandler -- they are good friends," Herbig recalled. "We were watching some film, I was like man, I wanna try that and I was talking to MG about it and he was like, "Why can’t you tryout?" I was like, "You know, I don’t have long arms." He was like, "F that, you're Nick Herbig, you’re a dog, be a dog." Shoutout MG, he’s the one that encouraged me to try new things."

Without Golden, Herbig might not have ever tried a new move and would have been limited to what he could do on the field. He underestimated himself, considering the size difference between him and Jones, but ever since he did, he's been a wrecking ball on the field. 

Golden didn't have a very long career with Pittsburgh, yet he found a way to make a major impact to the organization. He was added during an injury-plagued stretch in 2023, but even in a short period of time, he gave the Steelers plenty of value. 

Steelers' Have Shown Full Faith In Herbig

Herbig is a major piece of the Steelers' defense and he is paid like one now. He's a young star and he learned from one of the recent greats at the position. 

Without some helpful advice from a former teammate in Golden, who knows where he would be at. Fortunately, that addition really worked out for Pittsburgh, especially off the field.

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