Player: OLB Nick Herbig
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Argumentation: Steelers second-year OLB Nick Herbig was perhaps the best player on the field yesterday, capping his performance with two sacks, one of which he shared with Keeanu Benton. Although he’s stuck behind TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith, the Steelers hope to find more snaps for him this season.
I think a lot of teams will be wondering after this season how they could have let Nick Herbig slip out of the third round. The Steelers took him late in the fourth round, 132nd overall. While he won’t be a starter, it looks like he will impact the 2024 season.
If you listen to the Steelers defensive coaches, they say things like: three of the best rushers. It’s not just TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith – they’re starting to bring Nick Herbig into the discussion. After all, he spent his rookie season putting himself in position. In less than 200 defensive snaps, he managed three sacks and produced two forced fumbles with five tackles for loss.
Herbig will still be on the bench to start games, but you get the feeling the Steelers will use him more often. Right now, I don’t even know if they’ll use more than three outside linebackers, although they have some options. Their best option, Markus Golden, returned and then promptly retired.
But Nick Herbig is showing they don’t need that depth as long as they’re healthy. And he can help keep the group healthy by taking some of the snaps away from Watt and Highsmith. The Steelers have also experimented with some three-rusher looks to get them all on the field.
Yesterday’s preseason game was just further proof of the young runner’s potential. He finished the game with a sack and a half, which earned him a spot on the postgame podium. In addition, he even received the “Mr. Herbig” award from Mike Tomlin, which he called one of his top five moments. However, given the direction he’s heading, he needs to make room for more memorable moments.
During the season Steelers players’ stock prices rise and fall. The nature of the evaluation differs depending on the time of year, with in-season considerations more often being short-term in nature. Off-season considerations often have more far-reaching implications, particularly when players lose their jobs or the team signs someone. At this time of year is full of transactionsno matter whether minor or major.
A bad game, a new contract, an injury, a promotion – many things affect a player’s value. Think of him as a stock in the market based on speculation. You’ll think better of a player after a good game, and worse after a bad one. Some stock updates are minor, while others are likely to be quite drastic, so keep the magnitude in mind. I’ll do my best to explain the nature of this in the reasoning section of each column.
