The odds of the Pittsburgh Steelers becoming the first No. 7 seed to win a playoff game in the NFL playoffs took a major hit when head coach Mike Tomlin officially ruled out T.J. Watt for the Wild Card matchup against the Buffalo Bills. But unlike in years past, the Steelers have a lot of trust in their edge rushing depth, which includes rookie Nick Herbig.
While speaking to reporters on January 10, Herbig expressed the confidence he has in himself.
“It just comes down to preparation and hard work,” Herbig told the media, via Steelers Now’s Nick Farabaugh. “When the lights come on, you are going to see the preparation and hard work come to fruition.”
Herbig has mostly play special teams as a rookie. But he experienced an impressive preseason and started playing more defensive snaps in December.
The Steelers will be counting on Herbig and veteran edge rusher Markus Golden to pressure Bills quarterback Josh Allen without Watt.
Time for Nick Herbig to ‘Step Up’ for Steelers
It’s impossible to replace Watt. He led the NFL in sacks for the third time in four seasons with 19 during 2023. He also had 19 tackles for loss, 36 quarterback hits, 8 pass defenses, 4 forced fumbles and an interception.
But after losing Watt for seven games last season, the Steelers acquired depth along the edge last spring and summer. In the 2023 NFL draft, Pittsburgh selected Herbig in the fourth round.
“We’re as deep at that position as we’ve been in some time,” Tomlin told reporters on January 9. “We’re comfortable with the quality of depth.”
Herbig suggested he feels that support.
“I think they believe in me, which I appreciate,” Herbig said, via Farabaugh. “And a lot of guys are telling me that it’s my time to step up and believe in me.
“You know, T.J. is telling me he believes in me. So, just having that support from those guys, my coaches, I’m just excited.”
Herbig appeared in all 17 games for the Steelers this season, but he started playing a lot more on defense in December. He lined up for a season-high 45 defensive snaps in Week 14 against the New England Patriots after Watt sustained a hit to the head on the opening drive of the contest.
Herbig posted 7 combined tackles, including 1 tackle for loss versus New England.
Over the final four weeks, Herbig averaged 10.75 defensive snaps per game. He recorded 6 combined tackles and 1 sack in those contests. He had a forced fumble and fumble recovery in Week 17 against the Seattle Seahawks.
Steelers Also Have Markus Golden to Help Replace T.J. Watt
Herbig won’t have to replace Watt alone. In addition to Herbig, the Steelers added Golden this past offseason to give the defense more edge rushing depth.
Golden registered 11 sacks, 10 tackles for loss and 19 quarterback hits for the Arizona Cardinals just two seasons ago. He has posted three double-digit sack campaigns in his career.
This season, Golden recorded 4 sacks, 6 tackles for loss and 10 quarterback hits in 16 games.
In Week 18, the 32-year-old had arguably his best game of the season. Against the Baltimore Ravens, he posted 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack and 1 forced fumble.
Without Watt, the Steelers will need that kind of impact again on January 14 to defeat the Bills on the road.
At the very least, the Steelers would like Herbig and Golden to pose enough of a threat that fellow edge rusher Alex Highsmith will see some one-on-one opportunities on the opposite side of the line of scrimmage.
