The Pittsburgh Steelers begin a new era with head coach Mike McCarthy without many star players to build around. Former general manager Kevin Colbert—along with former head coach Mike Tomlin—made short-sighted moves over the years, which led to numerous poor decisions in the NFL Draft from 2018 to 2022.
Since Omar Khan took over as general manager, and with assistant GM Andy Weidl constructing the draft board since 2023, the Steelers have found more talent. Players like Nick Herbig, Derrick Harmon, Zach Frazier, and Joey Porter Jr. offer hope for the future in Pittsburgh.
But one of the Steelers' best young players could be on the move.
In a recent Dallas Cowboys mock draft by FanSided's senior NFL contributor Marcus Mosher, our resident NFL expert has the Cowboys trading for fourth-year edge rusher Nick Herbig.
For Dallas, Matt Eberflus is out as the team's defensive coordinator after just one season in 2025, and there are talks of the Cowboys poaching Steelers' outside linebacker coach Denzel Martin for the vacant DC job. If Martin lands the job, Herbig would make a tremendous amount of sense for the Cowboys to start building their defense round.
The Dallas Cowboys are the perfect trade partner for the Pittsburgh Steelers' EDGE Nick Herbig
The Cowboys may be itching to run a true 3-4 defense as they break away from Eberflus' zone-heavy 4-3 scheme. Herbig would be the ideal fit. The Steelers' 2023 fourth-round pick has been exceptional as a part-time edge rusher early in his career.
Mosher proposes that the Cowboys could offer the 12th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft for Herbig and the Steelers' No. 21 pick. While this might seem steep, the NFL Draft Trade Value Chart from DraftTek (using Jimmy Johnson's classic model) suggests that the Steelers' first and second-round picks this April would be almost enough value to land the No. 12 pick.
In essence, the Steelers would be including Herbig—instead of their 53rd overall pick in Round 2—to move up to the No. 12 pick.
With this selection, the Steelers could narrow in on one of the top three receivers in the 2026 NFL Draft, perhaps Arizona State's Jordan Tyson or USC's Makai Lemon. McCarthy's first order of business in his initial draft with the Dallas Cowboys was to select CeeDee Lamb. McCarthy will want a do-it-all WR he can run his entire offense through.
With Herbig entering a contract year and looking for a rich new deal, the Steelers could be inclined to pull the trigger on a trade with the Cowboys, should they ask.
Pittsburgh is already investing heavily in edge rushers T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith. Though Highsmith can be moved via trade, Herbig offers much more trade value in a potential deal, thanks to his youth (Highsmith turns 29 before the start of the 2026 season and will want a long-term extension by the 2027 offseason).
At 6'2'' and 240 pounds, Herbig isn't big, but he's versatile—possessing the ability to rush from the edge, stunt inside, line up over the 'A' gap to rush the passer, or drop back into coverage. This makes him a perfect fit as an edge rusher for the Cowboys to build their defense around.
Right now, this is just a mock trade projection, but it's a move that could make sense for both parties, considering the circumstances. Nick Herbig is a potential Steelers trade candidate to keep an eye on this offseason.