When the Pittsburgh Steelers defense needed crucial stops against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, pass rusher Nick Herbig delivered a dominant two-sack performance. However, the breakthrough wasn't just about effort; it was about alignment.
Throughout the early stretch of the season, defensive coordinator Patrick Graham frequently deployed Herbig as a hybrid, multi-alignment weapon, shifting him inside across A- and B-gaps. While the coaching staff sought to maximize his athletic versatility, the scheme adjustments stifled his natural pass-rushing instincts.
Against Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh finally simplified his responsibility, placing him squarely outside off the edge where his quickness could overwhelm opposing tackles.
The results were immediate. Herbig
finished with six tackles, two sacks, two quarterback hits, and three additional tackles for loss, consistently bending the edge and disrupting the backfield. His most dominant moment came on a clean sack against elite tackle Tristan Wirfs, where Herbig dipped under contact off the line to execute a textbook move.
As Christopher Carter emphasized on the “Locked on Steelers” podcast, keeping Herbig in his natural position is key to maximizing his potential.
"Looks like Patrick Graham may have figured out where he's supposed to put him on the edge. And that's where Nick Herbig's gonna eat. Stop. Stop trying to move him all around. Stop trying to make him this X-factor guy that lines up on a gap and B. put let him line up off the edge and go after the quarterback or stuff the run."
Following his landmark four-year, $100 million contract extension, expectation levels for Herbig are set at an all-time high. By abandoning complex positional experiments and allowing him to attack purely from the outside, the Steelers defense finally unlocked the game-changing pass rusher for which they paid.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Why Nick Herbig must stay at edge for Steelers defense to thrive
