Jack Sawyer didn’t need a monster sack total to make his rookie season feel successful. For a fourth-round pick buried behind T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Nick Herbig in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ outside linebacker rotation, his first year was a legitimate success.
Sawyer played 294 defensive snaps as a rookie, handled a real role in a crowded room and flashed the kind of versatility that fits Pittsburgh’s edge-rusher mold. He finished the regular season with 34 tackles, three tackles for loss, six quarterback hits, four passes defensed, two interceptions, and a sack. He added to that a strip-sack on Houston Texans' C.J. Stroud in the Wild Card round.
That’s why Nick Herbig’s comments on Cam Heyward’s “Not Just Football” podcast should grab Steelers fans’ attention. Herbig isn’t talking about a rookie who needs to prove he belongs. He’s talking about a young player who already showed he can contribute and may be ready for a much bigger jump.
“Jack’s going to have a big year,” Herbig said. “I think it’s going to be a breakout year for him. He looks good. He leaned up. Looks twitchy.”
Nick Herbig sees Jack Sawyer’s next Pittsburgh Steelers leap coming
That’s a strong endorsement from someone who understands the path Sawyer’s on. Herbig entered the NFL in a similar spot -- and same round -- learning behind Watt and Highsmith while waiting for more opportunities. Now, after becoming one of the Steelers’ most important young defenders, Herbig’s helping pass that same standard down to Sawyer.
He also understands why Year 2 can feel completely different.
“The rookie year is just brutal,” Herbig said. “It’s a long year, grueling on your body. You try to figure everything out. And he finally had an offseason to himself.”
Sawyer’s rookie season wasn’t about failure or frustration. It was about surviving the grind, producing in a limited role, and learning what it takes to function in an NFL season.
Now he gets a full offseason to build on it, including a pretty serious opportunity during the break before training camp.
“He’s coming to Wisconsin with me and T.J. this year for three weeks,” Herbig said. “I think that’ll be huge for him.”
Watt’s a Wisconsin native and played at Wisconsin, so Sawyer isn’t just tagging along on a random offseason trip. He’s getting three weeks around one of the best pass rushers of this era, plus another young Steelers edge rusher who’s already made the jump from promising depth piece to trusted weapon.
Watt and Highsmith took Herbig under their wing when he was a rookie. Now Herbig’s paying it forward with Sawyer.
That’s how the Steelers keep the pipeline moving. And if Herbig’s read is right, Sawyer’s successful rookie season may have only been the start of something promising.
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