Steelers rule out two starters vs. Texans, Nate Herbig will get a chance to shine

The Pittsburgh Steelers came away from Sunday Night Football with a win against the Las Vegas Raiders. Unfortunately, they didn't come away from the game unscathed. Eleven players made their way to the injury report this week, and after spending a day in Kansas City following the emergency landing of the team airplane, Pittsburgh didn't have a ton of time to rest up and prepare for the Texans.

During his Tuesday press conference, Mike Tomlin talked briefly about some of the players who sustained injuries during the Raiders game. Though it appeared that all of these injuries were minor, they obviously weren't minor enough.

On Friday, Brooke Pryor of ESPN confirmed that the Steelers will be without two of their starts this week. Right guard James Daniels will miss the game with a groin injury, while punter Pressley Harvin III has been ruled out with a hamstring injury.

Daniels was a big investment for the Steelers during the 2022 offseason. His performance increased each game down the stretch last year, but like every other offensive lineman on the team, he has been struggling a bit early in 2023.

Meanwhile, Harvin was off to an excellent start to the season -- beaming punts and pinning several inside the 20.

Nate Herbig will get a chance to shine for the Steelers

As a precautionary measure, the Steelers signed former player and veteran punter, Brad Wing. Wing is expected to play in his first NFL game since 2017 when he was with the New York Giants. Nate Herbig will also get his first look in this game, and he's certainly up to the challenge.

Herbig has been approaching each week as if he were going to play on offense. He's clearly excited about the opportunity to show what he has.

James Daniels is a quality football player who isn't about to lose his job, but if Herbig has an excellent game against the Texans, it could get Mike Tomlin and OL coach Pat Meyer thinking about a way to get him on the field.

One thing the team could consider is kicking Daniels inside to center -- the position he played all through college at Iowa. Not only is Daniels a more natural fit at center, but current starter Mason Cole has had an awful start to the 2023 season and has really struggled to hold up at the point of attack in his first three games.

We don't want to raise the bar too high for Nate Herbig in his first-ever action with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he certainly has the type of mentality to lay his body on the line each and every play. We don't want to see James Daniels sidelined, but Herbig's presence is part of the reason why the Steelers felt comfortable trading away both Kevin Dotson and Kendrick Green. Now it's time to show everyone what he's made of.