Pittsburgh Steelers OLB Nick Herbig is a $100 million man after agreeing to a four-year, $100 million deal with $42 million guaranteed on Tuesday. With a new contract in store, Herbig could see increased opportunities this season, with Mike DeFabo of The Athletic saying on The DVE Morning Show on 102.5 WDVE that new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham could have some tricks up his sleeve to get Herbig on the field more.
“I think that they’re going to find some unique ways to use him. In seasons past, we’ve seen the Steelers tinker with the three-outside linebacker package, where you have those three guys roaming around, and you don’t know what angle they’re going to be rushing from. I think Patrick Graham is going to lean into that even more,” DeFabo said.
He added that the Steelers are “evolving” in how they use their outside linebackers, having them drop into coverage more. He believes that could lead them to use three at a time to make offenses guess who is and isn’t blitzing.
A new defensive coaching staff could lead to some changes, and the Steelers wouldn’t have paid Herbig if there wasn’t a role in mind for him. DeFabo also speculated that Herbig could end up starting over Alex Highsmith and said the latter could be moved this offseason, but the plan for 2026 is to keep all three outside linebackers, per ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler. That could mean an uptick in the three-outside linebacker package is in store.
If the Steelers do drop their linebackers in coverage more as DeFabo believes, they have a good group to do it. Highsmith is a really sound coverage outside linebacker, while T.J. Watt has nine career interceptions. Herbig even picked a pass off last season. It could be a creative way to keep three outside linebackers on the field in different situations without the Steelers overplaying their hand about who’s coming after the quarterback.
It only makes sense for Herbig’s usage to pick up now that he’s getting paid. The Steelers will want to get the most out of him, and Herbig has consistently performed when given the opportunity, especially when working opposite Watt and/or Highsmith. They’re banking on him maintaining that level of play and being one of the best pass rushers in the game, and it sounds as if he’ll get plenty of opportunities to prove that signing him to a lucrative contract extension was the right decision.
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