Steelers Now
PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker Nick Herbig only played 29 snaps in last Thursday night’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. It certainly raised eyebrows after Herbig’s standout performance against Cleveland in Week 6, but there was a specific reason for his lack of usage against the Bengals.
“Out inability to control the run and limiting one-dimensional passing circumstances probably affected his participation some,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin explained during his weekly press conference on Tuesday. “But again, we got a lot of good players. As I mention often when you guys talk about playing time, just keep watching.”
Herbig was the highest rated Steelers’ defensive player (94.8) by Pro Football Focus in the Week 6 win over the Browns. The third-year outside linebacker recorded two sacks, four quarterback hits and a pass breakup.
The Steelers certainly have an elite trio at outside linebacker with T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Herbig. They consider Herbig as a 12th starter.
“He’s earned the right to be on the field as much as we can get him on the field,” defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said of Herbig earlier this month. “And so, as we get going in this season, a long season, he’s gonna play a lot of snaps for us and play a lot of football, and it’s my job to find ways to get him on there and keep him on the field. With what he’s done … he’s a splash player. He’s always around the ball.
“He makes it miserable for offensive tackles. He’s playing well. And so guys that play well get rewarded by playing more.”
Hetbig stepped when Highsmith was out with a high ankle sprain in Week 3 and Week 4, registering an interception, 2.5 sacks and eight quarterback hits. A third-year player, he’s starting to make a name for himself as a well-rounded talent.
“Nick’s a good football player. That’s just what he is,” Steelers outside linebackers coach Denzel Martin said earlier this month. “He can do everything. People like to think he’s just a pass guy, but if you watch the tape from this past week, he was run, pass, anything we need him to do, special teams. He just does it all.”
Alan Saunders provided reporting from Pittsburgh.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Mike Tomlin Explains Reason for Nick Herbig’s Low Snap Count vs. Bengals
