Earned. Grind. Well-deserved.
That's just a portion of the sentiments thrown around by Steelers past and present in light of Nick Herbig's new contract. Despite being a Day 3 draft pick with two established wrecking balls ahead of him, Herbig would not be denied.
T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Herbig have made up the Steelers' top three outside linebackers the past two seasons. With Herbig signing a new five-year deal, the Steelers are poised to have that same triumvirate in place for at least two more seasons.
"You can see why he has the credibility and the love in the locker room," Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy said of Herbig. "He has an infectious personality, and it definitely fits his play style."
Through the years, the Steelers have had to break up some of their best pass-rushing trios. After all, injuries happen, there are only so many snaps to go around, and the salary cap can only bend so much.
Watt, Highsmith and Bud Dupree only overlapped for one season. In the 1990s, Greg Lloyd, Kevin Greene and Jason Gildon had two years together before Greene left in free agency, followed by Chad Brown leaving a year later and then Lloyd the offseason after that.
But the Steelers now have Watt under contract through 2028, Highsmith through 2027 and Herbig through 2030. They're all three years apart, with Watt a first-round pick in 2017, Highsmith a third-rounder in 2020 and Herbig a fourth-rounder in 2023.
There's a special synergy the three have with one another, with Watt, 31, preserving the lineage of Steelers sack artists from days gone by. He played with James Harrison and played under the coaching of Joey Porter Sr.
Watt has shown the way to Highsmith, 28, and both in turn have taken Herbig under their wing from day one. Herbig, 24, knows the game now and has taken off in his own right, ready to bridge the gap to the next generation, which already has begun with 2025 fourth-rounder Jack Sawyer.
"Oh, we're deep, obviously. Not just our room, but the defensive front as a whole is really deep, and we really care about each other, too," Watt said. "That's the cool thing about this group, we're constantly trying to help each other out. We don't care who makes the plays, we just want to be as successful as we possibly can. We want to work together and just continue to grow. I'm just really happy with how things have started this summer."
When he entered the league after three years at Wisconsin, Herbig was the youngest player on the Steelers roster by more than four months. He was affectionately treated as everyone's little brother, which was perfect given that his actual older brother, Nate, was a Steelers offensive lineman.
But Herbig has earned respect and admiration up and down the roster, both with his performance on the field and work ethic off of it. The outpouring of praise and congratulations from various Steelers across social media Tuesday and Wednesday was palpable.
Now Herbig will set his sights on continuing the upward trajectory of his career. His snap percentage on defense has increased from 17% as a rookie to 50% in 2024 to 60% last season.
And Herbig's production has gone up accordingly. His sack total has ticked up from 3 to 5½ to 7½, while his 13 tackles for loss a year ago were more than the 10 over his first two campaigns combined. Quarterback hits also have gone up from 3 to 11 to 18 year over year for Herbig.
But anyone who has watched Herbig's rise knows he also has a knack for splash plays. He has 9 forced fumbles — and 4 fumble recoveries through three seasons.
Herbig also added his first career interception — college or pro — last year, a pick against Seattle that he returned 41 yards deep into Seahawks territory. He also scored his first career touchdown, college days included, when he jumped on the ball in the end zone at Chicago.
That came courtesy of a Watt strip-sack, which is fitting for Herbig. Those two share Badger blood from their legacies at Wisconsin, work out together in the offseason, and share pass-rushing tips until the spotted cows come home.
When Watt recorded his 100th NFL sack, Herbig was right there meeting him at the quarterback to share it with him. Watt was credited with a forced fumble on the play, too, and Herbig recovered it. The head coach on the other sideline that day was McCarthy, who's glad he no longer has to game-plan for Herbig.
"Playing against Nick in [2024], he got my attention," McCarthy said. "We were worried about the matchup in pass protection, but he gave us issues in the run game, too."
Even dating to his time at Wisconsin, Herbig looked up to Watt and tried to model his own game after the Steelers' all-time sack leader. He followed in Watt's footsteps when he was drafted to Pittsburgh and does it again now, signing a second contract with the Steelers.
But if Watt casts a large shadow, this is Herbig stepping out of it. He has established himself now, much more than just the baby brother and every bit a bona fide game-wrecker.
