Halicke: Herbig stakes (yet another) claim with two more sacks

DETROIT -- Markus Golden's sudden retirement made the depth at edge rusher a bit of a concern. However, Nick Herbig is doing everything he possibly can to quell any worries. In fact, he might just be turning into yet another star edge rusher in Pittsburgh.

In the Steelers' 24-17 loss to the Lions in their preseason finale at Ford Field, and just one week after recording 1.5 sacks against the Bills, Herbig was a wrecking ball in the Detroit backfield.

"I'm just trying to have fun out there," Herbig said after the game. "You never know when your last snap is going to be, so I'm just trying to take advantage of the opportunity."

Mission accomplished.

After the Lions moved the chains to start their first drive, Herbig and the defense clamped down on Hendon Hooker and the Detroit offense. First, Herbig capitalized on a great pressure by Keeanu Benton and wrapped up Hooker to put the Lions behind the chains on first down:

Herbig gets beat on the edge, but is able to spin to the inside and get a clear path to the quarterback in time before Hooker could escape a collapsing pocket.

Then Herbig saved the true splash play for third down:

You think his teammates were pretty stoked for that play?

Colby Sorsdal was no match for Herbig's speed rush around the edge. Herbig gets to the outside with a great burst off the ball, gets around Sorsdal without much of a fight, then makes a play on the ball as Hooker goes to throw. Dean Lowry recovered the fumble, giving the offense great field position to start their second series.

Saturday's performance should be the final shred of evidence needed to make Herbig the third edge rusher. Even if there was nobody else added, Herbig would be the default third edge rusher this season anyway. There's really nobody else that can challenge him. But there also appears to be no need.

Listen, Sorsdal isn't Penei Sewell. This is the preseason. Nobody's making Herbig an All-Pro or Defensive Player of the Year candidate just yet. But all anyone can do in such opportunities is beat the guy across from you. Herbig's done that throughout training camp and the preseason games. There's not much else he can do to deserve an elevated role in the defense.

Herbig's worked his tail off, and it's showed. He's taken council consistently with T.J. Watt, and even picked James Harrison's brain while the former Steelers great visited Saint Vincent College this summer. He's a smart football player that isn't above any way to improve his game. And there might not be two better pass-rushers to learn from than Watt or Harrison.

But even beyond that, Herbig's done all he can do. He made plays on defense last season while in a very limited role as the fourth edge rusher. He's clearly grown beyond that and needs an elevated role to grow. That's also a realistic expectation for Mike Tomlin, as he expects all of his second-year players to take significant steps forward.

"He's behaving like a guy who's been a lap around the track," Tomlin said. "He's just taken the jump. He's been there before. He's finding his footing. He wants to be impactful. Obviously, we're going to find a role for a guy like that, whether he's quote-unquote a starter or not, but he's got an opportunity to be significant. He's shown that, not only in stadium but in the team development work."

And this all couldn't come at a better time. Alex Highsmith should be ready for the start of the season as he recovers from a groin injury. But, as we all know, those kind of injuries can be unpredictable. There will be times Herbig needs to step on the field and make plays for this defense.

It sure looks like he's ready to play the part.