Nick Herbig
Nick Herbig
After early-season injuries wrecked the Pittsburgh Steelers’ outside linebacker room a year ago, the 2025 version could be starting off on a similar foot. Nick Herbig suffered a hamstring injury during the team’s preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and his status for Sunday’s opener against the New York Jets still seems in question.
Last week, Mike Tomlin admitted he didn’t know if Herbig would suit up. During Monday’s “bonus” day of practice, Herbig was a limited participant. As shared by 102.5 DVE’s Mike Prisuta, Herbig did not wear a jersey donned by the rest of his teammates.
Nick Herbig did some warming up but he was wearing a white baseball cap, not a black and gold practice jersey. pic.twitter.com/RC4iGJjHbR
It’s a positive that Herbig participated in the team’s stretch line, but that video suggests he will be in a race against time to suit up against the Jets. Soft-tissue injuries like hamstring pulls can linger and rushing back could aggravate the injury and cause him to miss even more time. Alex Highsmith’s 2024 groin injury is proof of that.
Similar injuries limited Herbig to 13 games a season ago, the former fourth-round pick missing a month of action and spoiling a hot start of 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble over his first five games before getting hurt. He finished the year with 5.5 sacks.
When healthy, the Steelers are strong at outside linebacker. T.J. Watt and Highsmith make up one of the NFL’s top duos in football. Fourth-round rookie Jack Sawyer rounds out the depth chart, focusing more on special teams than defense but is a quality No. 4 to begin his career.
If Herbig can’t play, Sawyer’s snap count will elevate from a handful to 10-20. Pittsburgh may focus on keeping players fresh considering it’s Week 1 and plenty of energy could be spent chasing down Jets QB Justin Fields.
Mike Tomlin will hold his Tuesday press conference tomorrow while Pittsburgh will release its official injury report Wednesday with final status updates Friday.
The most telling move of Herbig’s availability could come Saturday. Should the Steelers elevate EDGE DeMarvin Leal from their practice squad to the Active/Inactive roster, odds are strong Herbig will sit. If not, it’s a sign Herbig will suit up, though his snap count will be worth monitoring.
Related Items:Mike Prisuta, Nick Herbig, Pittsburgh Steelers