Steelers Are Warned To "Never Lose Sight" Of What Makes 1 Key Player Great

The Pittsburgh Steelers built their 2026 squad with one key word in mind: versatility. They want players on both sides of the ball that can play in multiple positions whenever they need to. This helps give nearly every position more depth to help out throughout the long, painful season. Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham will have plenty of position players to work with in his first year in Pittsburgh. With all the quality players on the roster, he will have to come up with some creative ways to get everyone enough time on the field. 

Even with all these options, simple is sometimes best. That is especially the case for one player in particular. Insider Ray Fittipaldo explained how Graham needs to not overthink things and run with what works in regard to one of his stars.

"[Nick] Herbig’s versatility gives Graham options in how he chooses to deploy his edge rushers, but the coaches should never lose sight of his ability to turn the corner on tackles and get quick pressure on quarterbacks," Fittipaldo said. "His first step rivals Watt’s, and winning early against overmatched offensive linemen has led to many of his forced turnovers in his first three NFL seasons."

The Steelers have created an interesting dilemma. They have three highly-paid, highly-talented edge rushers on the roster, even though teams only field two at a time. They've run three-outside linebacker sets before, and there have been some rumors that that could come back. It doesn't make sense to pay Nick Herbig and then keep him on the bench until someone gets injured. 

Fittipaldo also brought up Herbig's versatility with his ability to play inside linebacker if needed. However, it doesn't make sense to compare someone to TJ Watt and then move him off the ball on a regular basis. At the end of the day, the former fourth-round pick has shown the ability to beat any offensive tackle in the league in a one-on-one rep thanks to his Watt-like acceleration around the edge. 

Over the past two seasons, Herbig has led the league in pass rush win rate. His ability to get to the quarterback is second to none, which results in him racking up sacks and turnovers despite the lack of snaps he has gotten in those years. Simply put, there is no offense in the league that can keep him out of the backfield. So why would the Steelers take a guy like that and move him to off-ball linebacker for multiple reps?

Steelers Are The Perfect Fit For Herbig

The biggest reason for Herbig's success is the fact that he almost exclusively gets one-on-one matchups, where he can beat anyone. The odds of his signature move working against a double team is slim to none, but that's not a problem for the star pass rusher for now. He plays for a team that is able to get him those prime opportunities to wreak havoc in the backfield and make quarterbacks' lives miserable. 

Opposing offensive coordinators draw a game plan around making sure Watt doesn't ruin everything. They always chip him, double-team, and even triple-team the 2021 Defensive Player of the Year. They can't do the same thing on the other side, or else it becomes a 9-on-7 game in favor of the Steelers. If these coaches try to double-team Herbig, then Watt will just get all the sacks and remind everyone of how good he really is.

What do you think about the idea that the Steelers need to keep Herbig where he has thrived and not move him all over the defense? Would it be worth it to give him some snaps at middle linebacker? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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