Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker Nick Herbig had an impressive rookie campaign, recording 27 total tackles (19 solos), three sacks, five tackles for losses, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. Entering his second season, Herbig should be even better. The Steelers at least know they have a reliable No. 3 OLB option if T.J. Watt or Alex Highsmith get hurt, which is something they lacked in previous years.
In a recent article, Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated named Herbig as the Steelers most underrated player.
“Mostly a rotational player, Herbig may have led the league last year in plays made where someone quickly pulls out their phone to Google: Who the hell is this guy? Herbig played mostly on special teams and logged roughly 200 total defensive snaps, but I’d argue that having a font of these skilled pass rushers and hybrid edge-type players is critical to what Mike Tomlin wants to do defensively and is a necessary insurance for the Steelers’ most valuable player, T.J. Watt,” Orr wrote.
“Herbig has really fast hands and showed well against big, physical offensive lines. Despite a (relatively) slender looking frame, he plays much larger than he really is and doesn’t shy away from physical contact. He had three sacks, five tackles for loss and three QB hits despite not starting a single game last year.”
Outside linebackers coach Denzel Martin also praised Herbig for getting his body right and being in phenomenal shape. Herbig has been training with Brad Arnett in Wisconsin this offseason. T.J. Watt also trains with Arnett when he’s back in his home state.
“He’s got a good training regimen with the guys back in Wisconsin. Brad Arnett, they do a great job with him out there,” Martin said of Herbig. “There’s no questions. They have a nice plan set up for him every year that he goes out there, but they’re fine-tuning it and getting better at what he’s doing every summer. And it’s just, you see it in his body. He’s playing fresher. He looks better. I like it.”
Martin has seen growth in Herbig’s football IQ, as well.
“You see it in his maturity, man. He’s just so much more mature,” Martin said. “He just knows what’s coming, you know what I mean? He knows what to expect almost at this point. The plays don’t change. He just gets more fine-tuned with what he does, and you can see it out on the field.”
Herbig recently joined Steelers defensive tackle Cam Heyward and nose tackle Keeanu in a workout session with pass-rush specialist Dez Walker in Pittsburgh.
“Had a great week of work down in Pittsburgh.. The way these guys work together & push each other is phenomenal. Always great to be lead by one of the best to Ever do it @CamHeyward
.! Great session much luv to all you guys @keeanu_benton @nickherbig_,” Walker wrote.
Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin has high expectations for Herbig in Year 2.
“Yes. And it’s not so much in the rush and how he’s rushing but I think it’s his approach to the game and what he knows. You know, it’s always a little different. You get used to NFL football first year, second year, you get a jump because now you kind of understand the game. And that’s what I see with him. He understands what’s going on around and it’s not just hey, what’s my position. He can understand and he has a good feel for the game. And so, I’m excited about Nick and I think, you know, when you look at what he did last year, and the limited amount of reps he played, his impact was pretty good. And so, if he’s playing more this year, it wouldn’t surprise me and I wouldn’t be like, oh, we got to get the other guys back in. I would be trustful of what he’s going to do in the game,” Austin said.
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