Steelers are given mediocre grades for most of their free agent signings

Steelers grade for signing Nate Herbig

Contract: 2 years, 8 million dollars, 2.92 million dollar signing bonus

Grade: C

While I do believe this is a slight overpay for the type of player that Nate Herbig is, I was initially fine with the move. While Herbig is far from an elite starter, he can get a push in the run game even if his pass blocking leaves a lot to be desired. As a player that can compete for a starting spot, it seemed like a fine move.

The Steelers have since added to the interior of the line, and that makes this signing less favorable to me. Initially, it looked like the Steelers had Herbig who can serve as the swing interior lineman while also pushing Kevin Dotson. Whoever won the starting position would fill n at guard while the other would be the top backup at either guard spot.

Now, it looks like Herbig was brought in just to be a reserve, so I think this contract is a little rich. I would have rather seen the money spent elsewhere, as Dotson would have been a fine interior swingman if he needed to step in for an injury. I can’t hate the signing, but the value just seems too high for what the Steelers are getting.