TAMPA, Fla. — Nick Herbig brought the juice to the table. And the rookie outside linebacker out of Wisconsin racked up two sacks in his NFL debut with the Steelers on different moves. The first was his rip and dip, while the other was a fantastic counter back inside that flashed his ability as a pass rusher.
Once thought of as a guy who would likely move to inside linebacker given his 230-pound frame is light for the NFL, Nick Herbig is dispelling most of those notions. His strong training camp and then coming out in the first game and giving Tampa Bay fits has to make the Steelers feel good about where he is right now.
Herbig came on in the second half and terrorized the Buccaneers’ offensive line. He racked up two sacks and a number of pressures outside of that with multiple different moves outside of those listed above. Herbig has elite burst, so if the bag is as deep as it looks, it is hard to not expect him to get some real playing time this season given what he is showing. After the game, he feels like he is a true Pittsburgh Steelers pass rusher.
“I feel like I was born to be a Steeler,” Herbig said. “I’m supposed to be here, wearing that Black and Gold. I feel that Black and Gold running through my veins right now. It feels like exactly what God wanted for me.”
Playing with his brother, Nate, on the team is something that only a few guys can dream of doing. But Mike Tomlin wants more and shouted on the sidelines calling for others to see if they had brothers that the team could snap up at some point in the future. It is all related to what Herbig is doing out on the field right now.
Alan Saunders contributed reporting from Tampa.