5 Steelers who are shooting up the depth chart

Steelers have found a gem in Nick Herbig

While I came away impressed with the Steelers 2023 draft class, the lone pick I had a fair bit of skepticism about was Nick Herbig. I struggled to see the value in adding an undersized edge rusher when that type of player in the past has struggled (see Reed, Malik). While the thought of moving him off ball was appealing, it seemed like a risk in the fourth round.

I remained adamant in my opinion even after training camp opened. Herbig was an early winner in practice, constantly showing good burst and the ability to beat opposing tackles. Still, I thought that his size would be an issue once he is facing teams' top tackles or core backups as opposed to Le’Raven Clark.

Now, here I am singing his praises because Herbig deserves it. He has been one of if not the, best defensive players on the field in both of the preseason games so far. He has been able to wrack up sacks, force turnovers, and even set the edge on running plays. Specifically against the Bills, he was doing that against some of the starters.

While Herbig won’t contend as a starter, he has likely earned a defensive role this season as a core backup. Markus Golden is the perceived top backup, and while he has plenty of value as a steady veteran, Herbig should still be seeing the field.

Herbig went from a guy I was heavily skeptical of, to a core special teams option, to now a viable backup. Edge rusher could very well be four deep this season, a healthy change from the poor depth of seasons ago. While the depth chart jump isn’t huge, Herbig has cemented himself as a potential backup for this defense.