The Steelers have had a top edge rusher tandem in T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith for years, but will this season be their last ride? With Watt aging and Nick Herbig due for a new contract, they are at a pivotal point in that room. Historically, Pittsburgh has had a draft, develop, replace approach at the position.
They have bucked that for special talents, as with the Steelers’ Super Bowl edge rusher tandem of James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley. Obviously, they now have T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith. They also have Nick Herbig, the draft and develop next in line—but will he replace one of them?
Recently, Gerry Dulac fielded a question about whether the Steelers will have the same edge rusher tandem in 2027. “I don’t think it will be the same duo as 2026, but that might be up to Nick Herbig”, he replied. Both Watt and Highsmith are under contract through at least 2027, Watt’s deal running through 2028.
But Herbig will be a free agent next March if they don’t sign him to an extension or tag him before then. The Steelers drafted him in the fourth round in 2023 and have carefully developed him over three seasons. In that time, he has recorded 16 sacks, 23 tackles for loss, 9 forced fumbles, and 1 interception. All on 1,216 defensive snaps, never hitting more than a 60-percent share in a season. On 610 snaps last season, he recorded a career-high 7.5 sacks and 3 forced fumbles.
Some believe that Herbig is already one of the Steelers’ top two edge rushers. Many are increasingly turning against T.J. Watt, whose 2025 season was compromised by a freak lung injury. Set to turn 32 in October, however, he no longer appears to be in the prime of his career. Highsmith, who will turn 29 in August, is. Amid Watt’s injury last year, he stepped up.
Of course, Nick Herbig will turn just 25 years old in October. It’s hard to turn your back on a potential double-digit-sack starter with youth on his side who also has a knack for producing takeaways. But do the Steelers have sufficient evidence that he can hold up on starter reps? And what exactly would the Steelers do about one of their other edge rushers? There would be a market for both T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, but not as robust as they might like.
Ultimately, it’s a welcome problem for the Steelers to have too much talent at edge rusher. Of course, some draft analysts somehow convinced themselves that they were thin there—which they’re not. They still have Jack Sawyer, a 2025 fourth-round pick who had an encouraging rookie season, as well. But is he added incentive to keep Nick Herbig around, or to let him go?