With a quarter of the season already behind us, the Pittsburgh Steelers are at the bye with a 3-1 overall record. Pittsburgh’s defense undoubtedly had a slow start to the season, particularly against the run. The unit was ravaged by injuries early, with star players such as DeShon Elliott and Alex Highsmith missing time.
The tough injury luck early in the season has led to a new star emerging for Pittsburgh, leaving them with an interesting decision to make.
Third-year edge rusher Nick Herbig has 2.5
sacks, four tackles for loss, an interception, and a forced fumble in just over two games as a starter after the injury to Alex Highsmith. This is far and away more productive than his first two years, in which he totaled just 8.5 sacks.
Steelers outside linebackers coach Denzel Martin had some high praise for the way the young defender has become a well-rounded player for Pittsburgh.
“Nick’s a good football player. That’s just what he is,” Martin said per Steelers.com. “He can do everything. People like to think he’s just a pass guy, but if you watch the tape from this past week, he was (defending) run, pass, anything we needed him to be — special teams, you know what I mean? He just does it all. He’s just gonna continue to get better every week.”
Highsmith’s injury has given Herbig a chance to step in and not only make an impact as a starter, but prove he is worthy of getting significant playing time even when Highsmith is fully healthy. Martin also seems to think that Herbig has done enough to group himself in with the starters.
“With the production we get out of those three guys, yeah, that’s three starters.”
It’s a great problem to have if you are the Steelers, as it seems like they have struck gold in Herbig. The only question that remains is how Teryl Austin and Mike Tomlin choose to divide the snaps to give their rising star more chances to grow on the field.
It’s a embarrassment of riches on the Steelers’ end to be able to have a talent such as Herbig as a backup, but it is now time to give him serious run with the starting defense and continue to show what he is capable of.
What are your thoughts on Nick Herbig and the growth he has shown on the field so far this season? Do you think he should continue to get significant reps when Highsmith returns to the lineup? Join the BTSC community and let us know in the comments below!
