The Pittsburgh Steelers have been going through plenty of injury woes, especially on the defensive side of the ball. During their game against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night, they saw another devastating injury occur as Nick Herbig left the contest with a hamstring injury. Pittsburgh is already thin at outside linebacker after Alex Highsmith suffered a groin injury in Week 3, and now Pittsburgh may be without its second-year pass rusher.
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Steelers' Nick Herbig speaks to the media after a preseason game.
Herbig has been a promising young piece on defense. He had some impressive performances during the preseason, and has been making plays throughout the regular season as well. He recorded two sacks against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 3, and he recorded half a sack against Dallas, which wound up being a fumble. It was a big hit to the defense as he left the game in the third quarter with a hamstring injury.
Herbig has a hamstring injury. His return is questionable for Steelers
— Dale Lolley (@dlolley_pgh) October 7, 2024
Soft tissue injuries like this are rough, and they are easy to re-aggravate so it is important players don't rush back. It's very easy to suffer setbacks when recovering from these injuries, and the Steelers may need to play it safe when ushering Herbig back into the fold. Highsmith will likely miss some more time, so the Steelers will be relying on DeMarvin Leal and Jeremiah Moon alongside TJ Watt.
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Steelers' Nick Herbig celebrates with TJ Watt celebrate against the Seattle Seahawks.
Pittsburgh typically has one of the best edge-rushing groups in football, but now they might be missing two of their top three players at the position. Watt is one of the best defenders in all of football, but now there isn't reliable depth behind him. Watt comes off the field occasionally on long drives so it is crucial that Pittsburgh has guys behind him they can rely on to make a play. Herbig was that guy behind Watt and Highsmith but he was thrust into a starting role after Highsmith went down.
Leal and Moon will need to play well on the outside moving forward, but the team may need to find external help. Another option could even be giving a guy like Payton Wilson some snaps at outside linebacker. He can drop back into coverage, he is physical, and he has a decent amount of speed that should help him in getting around some of the league's bigger offensive tackles.
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Steelers' Rookie Linebacker Payton Wilson in his first week of training camp with the team in Latrobe, PA.
Pittsburgh will need to come to a solution for their depth issues at outside linebacker fast, but Highsmith should be able to return in the coming weeks and the severity of Herbig's injury is still unknown.
Do you think the Steelers will need to look for external help at outside linebacker? Let us know in the comments below!
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