The Pittsburgh Steelers have a new star pass rusher

PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Steelers, whose elite defenses range from Blitzburgh to the Steel Curtain, have always had star pass rushers. Even now, Alex Highsmith and TJ Watt still form a formidable duo at outside linebacker, just as they did in the best days of the Steelers’ 3-4 defense.

When Highsmith was sidelined with a groin injury and Nick Herbig had to fill in, there were high hopes for the rookie, who burst onto the scene in his rookie year and made the most of it in a few snaps.

Herbig took the expectations and followed them. The second-year Wisconsin native recorded three pressures, two sacks and a forced fumble. Watt made Herbig his protégé and took him under his wing. Sometimes the way he attacks the quarterback looks eerily similar.

“It didn’t surprise me that the boy was scratching his head. When we’re at the facility, we pretty much do everything together… The boy who asks the right questions. I’m not surprised by the performance. “He went out there and played with a lot of verve and confidence,” Watt said of Herbig.

Herbig admitted his eyes widened a bit when Highsmith went down. In this game, Chargers Pro Bowl left tackle Rashawn Slater would be on the other side, not some random offensive tackle. On his first pass-rush snap, Herbig won clean from the edge. With Slater out, Herbig forced the field around new left tackle Trey Pipkins for the second sack.

Both sacks were clean wins, all due to Herbig’s agility and explosiveness. He only weighs about 230 pounds, a smaller frame for an edge rusher. Still, the run defense didn’t let up and he was able to score in the passing game.

“Just because you’re not in the starting lineup doesn’t mean you’re not ready to play,” captain Cam Heyward said. “Herbig was prepared for it. He had a great preseason. With Alex out, I think Herbig is ready to step up.”

The only regret Herbig had in his first long action was that he couldn’t recover the fumble on his strip sack. But even Mike Tomlin praised Herbig every week for his efforts. From the first day he walked into the facility, he learned from Highsmith and Watt.

Herbig has his own unique set of talents in a group that features two of the better edge rushers in the entire NFL. Without these two, his deeper repertoire of moves may not have been refined. But Herbig is now emerging as a star in his own right, and Pittsburgh could go from two star edge rushers to three star rushers in the blink of an eye.

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