"Not A Power Guy": Steelers' Nick Herbig Hears The Harsh Truth

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a fascinating problem with Nick Herbig. He has already shown he can create splash plays, rush the passer, and benefit from playing in a room with TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith. The harder question is whether he can grow beyond being viewed as a complementary piece.

That conversation has followed Herbig because of his frame and style. He does not look like the classic overpowering edge rusher who wins by walking tackles back into the quarterback. He is quicker than he is heavy. He wins more with burst, bend, timing, and instinct than pure force. That can make people question whether he is built to become a true every-down problem for opposing offenses.

Chris Carter pushed back on part of that idea during a recent episode of Locked On Steelers. Carter was asked about Herbig’s long-term role and whether he is best suited as a high-end No. 2 edge rusher rather than someone who can eventually carry the pass rush himself. His answer started with the size concern.

“I don’t think Nick Herbig is tiny,” Carter said.

That matters because the “too small” label can become lazy. Herbig is not the biggest outside linebacker, but size alone does not determine whether an edge rusher can succeed. Leverage, flexibility, hand usage, get-off, and processing all matter. The Steelers have had shorter pass rushers thrive before because they knew how to win with leverage and violence.

Carter’s bigger point was that Herbig’s real distinction is not about being too small. It is about the kind of rusher he is.

“I think that he’s not a power guy,” Carter said. “He’s a finesse pass rusher.”

That is the more accurate label. Herbig is not trying to win the same way Watt has at his peak or the way some bigger edge rushers do. His game is built around stress. He can win before a tackle gets comfortable. He can turn the corner. He can swipe, dip, and force quarterbacks to speed up. That does not make him less valuable. It just means the Steelers have to understand exactly what kind of weapon they are developing.

The encouraging part is that Herbig has already shown he can produce without needing a massive snap share. He has a knack for forcing turnovers, and that trait fits the Steelers’ defensive personality. Pittsburgh has always valued edge defenders who do more than collect quiet pressures. The Steelers want players who change possessions.

That is why Herbig’s role becomes so interesting under Patrick Graham. If Graham uses Watt, Highsmith, and Herbig together more creatively, Herbig’s finesse style can become a problem for offenses. He does not have to be the heaviest player on the field if the protection is already sliding toward Watt or accounting for Highsmith. Those one-on-one chances are where Herbig can punish teams.

Pittsburgh’s defensive identity has always had room for different types of edge rushers, especially when the group is built around aggression and timing. That same physical standard showed up in a different era when Rod Woodson explained how Bill Cowher changed the Steelers’ mindset, and the modern defense is still chasing its own version of that edge.

Herbig does not need to become a clone of Watt to be worth the investment. He needs to sharpen what already makes him dangerous. That means improving his counters, holding up better against the run, and proving he can still affect games when offenses prepare specifically for him. The next step is not just flashing. It is making those flashes feel inevitable.

That is where the “No. 2” label can either stick or disappear. If Herbig only wins when Watt draws attention, critics will keep calling him a complementary player. If he starts winning even when protections know where he is, the conversation changes quickly.

The Steelers clearly believe there is more there. Herbig has already become more than a rotational curiosity, and his development gives Pittsburgh options. It could allow the defense to keep Watt fresher. It could reduce the need to overextend Highsmith. It could also give Graham a third edge rusher who forces offenses into protection math they do not like.

Steelers Need Herbig To Redefine His Role

The next stage of Herbig’s career is about perception and proof. Carter is right that calling him tiny misses the point. The more useful question is whether a finesse rusher can become consistent enough to be trusted as a primary disruptor.

Herbig has already shown the Steelers he can create chaos. Now he has to show he can do it when the role expands and the attention increases. That is where good rotational rushers either stay in place or become something more valuable.

Pittsburgh does not need Herbig to become a power player overnight. It needs him to become a more complete version of himself. If he can add enough strength, run-game reliability, and counter moves to complement his natural burst, the Steelers may have something far more dangerous than a third edge rusher. They may have a finesse weapon who makes the entire pass rush harder to block.

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