The Pittsburgh Steelers don’t have a lot of positions where they can brag about having too many answers. Edge rusher is one of them.
T.J. Watt remains the headliner. Alex Highsmith has become one of the league’s more reliable running mates. That combination alone gives Pittsburgh the kind of pass-rush foundation most teams spend years building.
Then there’s Nick Herbig, who keeps making the word “depth” feel not significant enough.
Herbig isn’t a starter, at least not in the traditional sense. While he’s not the player opponents build their entire protection plan around, the more you look at his production, the harder it gets to treat him like a luxury.
Nick Herbig is forcing the Pittsburgh Steelers to rethink their edge rotation
“Nick Herbig registered a career-high 7.5 sacks last season, and his 24.7% pass rush win rate since entering the league is second to only Micah Parsons during that span,” wrote Mike Clay in ESPN’s starting lineup projection ranking, where Pittsburgh ranked No. 19. That’s the most eye-opening stat from ESPN’s roster breakdown. And it wasn’t about Watt or Highsmith.
Any time a Steelers defender is sitting behind only Micah Parsons in a pass-rush efficiency metric, fans should take note. Pass rush win rate is about how often a player beats his blocker, and Herbig has been doing it at a ridiculous clip. He’s not just giving Watt or Highsmith a blow or benefiting in garbage time as he did as a rookie.
Watt is Watt, even if he’s not coming off his best season. He has been an All-Pro in each of his past five healthy seasons -- a reminder that just because he fell off slightly in 2025 doesn’t mean his striving for greatness has.
Highsmith isn’t going anywhere either – at least not anytime soon. His 37 sacks over the past four seasons give 37 good reasons to keep him around.
So where does that leave Herbig?
It leaves him as the kind of nonstarter who can shape games if the Steelers are willing to get creative. That means more three-edge looks, NASCAR (speed) packages, and obvious passing-down snaps where Watt, Highsmith, and Herbig can wreak havoc at once.
In the past, under Mike Tomlin, the Steelers have been reluctant to use him. But the new coaching regime can -- and will -- breathe new life into him.
But the Steelers don’t need to force Herbig into a starting role to prove his value. The massive contract they paid him proves that. Pittsburgh just needs to recognize that his efficiency is too good to use him in a limited fashion, especially on a defense built to win by making quarterbacks anxious.
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