Should Steelers move on from one of these starters for Nick Herbig?

I’ll be the first to admit that I was wrong about Nick Herbig when the Steelers drafted him. I was skeptical of his lack of size and length, as traditionally edge rushers possess better athletic builds than he does. I was convinced that his best fit was as an off-ball linebacker long-term because of all of this.

Boy, how I have been proven wrong. While he was only used in a rotational role last year, Herbig shined with three sacks. He kept that momentum rolling this year in the preseason by being arguably the best defender for the defense despite not playing all that much. Heading into year two, he has the chance to break out as a heavily used third edge rusher.

Expectations are so high in fact that some have already deemed Herbig the next big thing for the Steelers. So much so that he could make either of the current starters expendable moving forward. Are the Steelers really just sitting on the next big thing at edge rusher?

Why these rumors are silly for the Steelers

While not my personal opinion, I have seen so many fans and even some outlets speculate that Herbig’s ascension should lead to the team moving on from Alex Highsmith. Some others have even gone as far as to say that Herbig makes Watt expendable, which seems crazy.

Granted, far less speculation is centered around Watt being the player to get the ax. The argument seems to come from fans who are pushing for a complete rebuild. Watt will be getting a new deal sometime within the next year more than likely, and at his age, it is likely his last big deal. If Herbig is the real deal, you can save cap space and acquire assets by replacing him with Herbig.

While I can trace the line of logic, it would seem like a horrible waste to ship off a perennial defensive player of the year candidate because Herbig has looked good so far in his career. Watt will likely go down as one of the best defenders in Steelers history, and he still has some mileage on his tires before you need to seriously consider replacing him.

Alex Highsmith has been the name far more often in the crosshairs, but the argument to move on from him is equally nonsensical. Fans were clamoring to send him to the 49ers in a deal for Brandon Aiyuk, but given his contract and the fact that the team restructured him this offseason is a sign that he is here to stay, as trading him would result in a loss of cap space.

People also significantly underrate Highsmith as a player. While the sack numbers weren’t there a year ago, his pass rush win rate was impressive. He generates constant pressure and makes an impact in that way even when he doesn’t get home with a sack. He has a wide array of moves and counters as well, making him a hard player to block. Is he in the same tier as Watt? No, but he isn’t getting paid like that either. He is a great compliment and starter for this defense.

Meanwhile, Herbig has looked good in limited work, but the limited work also poses an issue when determining what he is as a player. He notched two sacks last year, but he only played a total of five defensive snaps in the two games where he notched a sack. That isn’t to say he played poorly in other weeks, but he was extremely fresh when he logged his sacks as a rookie. In total, he only had one game where he played more than 17 snaps during the regular season.

Herbig benefited from being extremely fresh as a rotational player. I don’t hold that against him, but how effective will he be having to play 50 or more snaps in a game? Some of that explosiveness may be negated.

Even if Herbig is a capable starter right now, having three great edge rushers with one on a rookie deal is a potent combination. Let your starters do their thing knowing that they can also rest up with a capable third option. The Steelers went years with bad third and fourth options at edge rusher. They have the chance now to have an extremely deep and talented room for the next three or so years. Dumping a starter is the last thing they should be thinking about right now.