It didn’t take long for the guy replacing T.J. Watt in the starting lineup to make a play for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Second-year edge rusher Nick Herbig got into the action early in the team’s second preseason game with a sack of Buffalo quarterback Mitch Trubisky.
Herbig is preparing to see a much heavier workload this season as the team’s primary backup outside linebacker. The Steelers had briefly re-signed veteran Markus Golden but he promptly retired from the NFL in the same week.
Watt was one of only a handful of players who didn’t dress for the Steelers against the Bills on Saturday night. This could have been because of questionable field conditions due to rain.
.@Steelers sack 😤
📺: #BUFvsPIT on @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/RzKEhPQyEH— NFL (@NFL) August 17, 2024
In 2023, Herbig was a part-time player at outside linebacker as a rookie. He did show steady improvement late in the season although he finished with only three sacks.
The Steelers kick off the regular season on the road against the Atlanta Falcons.