The Pittsburgh Steelers took care of one of their young core players on Tuesday, reportedly agreeing to terms with Nick Herbig on a four-year extension. It locks up a key member of the defense as the Steelers continue to spend more than anybody else on that side of the ball. However, to FS1’s Jason McIntyre, that’s not a sign of good roster building.
“I just want to laugh…I mean, Nick Herbig’s a fine player. He’s good, but this is all they do,” McIntyre said Wednesday on FS1’s The Herd. “The Steelers, currently without [Joey] Porter [Jr.], have the most expensive defense in the NFL heading into next season. I don’t think that’s a winning formula. If you looked at the rosters, the Jets or the Steelers, I’m taking the Jets’ roster in a heartbeat. Heartbeat. You can have Aaron Rodgers, that’s fine. But the Jets have a better young core.”
McIntyre and his co-host, Colin Cowherd, have routinely criticized Pittsburgh for spending so much on the defensive side of the ball. Given how that unit performed last year, it’s a fair point at times. However, extending Nick Herbig doesn’t feel like bad business. It may create some tough decisions down the line at his position, but Herbig has been excellent in the opportunities he’s gotten.
But do the Jets really have a better roster than the Steelers? On paper, Pittsburgh doesn’t have many holes. The Steelers added to receiver with Michael Pittman Jr. and Germie Bernard, two big upgrades from the 2025 corps. While they lost Kenneth Gainwell, Rico Dowdle forms a talented tandem with Jaylen Warren. The offensive line looked impressive as the 2025 season went on, and it got some more depth this offseason. Defensively, both the cornerback and safety positions got some new talent as well after some depth issues last year.
McIntyre’s remark about the Steelers’ young core is interesting. While some of their stars are aging, the Steelers’ roster really isn’t that old. Defensively, Derrick Harmon, Joey Porter Jr., Yahya Black, Payton Wilson, Jack Sawyer and Herbig are all notable youngsters. And offensively, Bernard, Troy Fautanu, Mason McCormick, Zach Frazier, Max Iheanachor, and Gennings Dunker are building blocks as well. That’s not including Roman Wilson and Kaleb Johnson, who could take their own steps forward in 2026.
McIntyre, a Jets fan, certainly isn’t an Aaron Rodgers admirer. But the Steelers do have two young quarterbacks in Will Howard and Drew Allar. It might be a tall ask for either to become the franchise quarterback, but they still represent youth. And New York doesn’t exactly have more than that in its own quarterback room, aside from drafting Cade Klubnik this year.
Ultimately, there are still things to quibble about with the Steelers’ roster heading into 2026. But McIntyre thinks it’s even worse than the one the Jets have put together.
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