Nick Herbig
Nick Herbig
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a long-standing, storied franchise with plenty of great players in their history. That includes many legendary defensive players. They’ve had seven players win the Defensive Player of the Year award, including Joe Greene earning the honor twice. T.J. Watt is their most recent winner, getting the award in 2021. Nick Herbig’s personal goal for the 2026 season is to join that exclusive club.
“I want to be Defensive Player of the Year,” Herbig said recently on The Irish Steelers Podcast.
It would be surprising to see Herbig take that kind of leap this year. However, that’s not because he lacks talent. It’s more about the fact that he hasn’t even been an NFL starter yet. He’s only recorded 11 starts in his three NFL seasons.
Again, that’s not as much a knock on Herbig as it is a credit to the Steelers’ edge-rusher talent. Watt and Alex Highsmith have been one of the NFL’s best pass rush duos for years. Herbig was a fourth-round pick, so it was hard to justify him playing over Watt or Highsmith early in his career.
However, that could change this year because the Steelers gave Herbig a hefty contract extension this offseason. They’re going to want to get their money’s worth out of him, and that means getting him on the field. His skills have flashed when he’s been given opportunities, recording 16 sacks and nine forced fumbles since entering the league.
The Steelers have shown in training camp that they’re willing to use Herbig, Watt, and Highsmith on the field simultaneously. It might still be tough for him to win Defensive Player of the Year in 2026, though.
That’s a tall task. Myles Garrett won the award last year, breaking the single-season sack record. Now, he’s with the Los Angeles Rams, and he could make a push to earn that honor again. Former Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald could come out of retirement, too, and he’s won the award three times. If he returns, he could either make a push to win it a fourth time or help Garrett win his third.
That isn’t even including the number of other talented defensive players in the league. Herbig having a breakout year and entering that conversation would be great news for the Steelers. Suddenly, his contract would look like a steal. It just might be another year or two before he gets the opportunities to make that jump. That doesn’t mean he can’t be great this year, though.