- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,148,045
- Reaction score
- 59
With the news on Tuesday that the Pittsburgh Steelers had signed linebacker Nick Herbig to a massive four-year, $100 million contract extension, the team now has $83 million wrapped up in the same position for the 2026 season. This includes Herbig, Alex Highsmith and T.J. Watt.
This really begs the question, "What will the Steelers do with these guys?" Our first reaction was to assume that someone is getting traded. Whether it's the 31-year-old Watt or the underachieving Highsmith, one of them goes so Herbig can start on the edge.
But maybe there's another solution and it's one we would have never considered if Mike Tomlin was still the head coach and Teryl Austin was still the defensive coordinator. What if Pittsburgh moves Herbig to inside linebacker? Teams worked Herbig out at inside linebacker during the predraft process and at least considered the idea before the Steelers selected him in 2023.
Herbig at inside linebacker in the modern NFL would be in name only but it would get him into the starting lineup and on the field without pushing Watt or Highsmith to the sideline. The three of them could rotate inside and outside and the pass rush would finally become unpredictable and dynamic.
Having said that, a position change still means someone could be traded but in this case, the most likely candidate would be linebacker Patrick Queen. Queen has been mentioned in rumors and is another player looking for a new deal but isn't likely to get one.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: A position change might be the solution to the Steelers linebacker problem
Continue reading...
This really begs the question, "What will the Steelers do with these guys?" Our first reaction was to assume that someone is getting traded. Whether it's the 31-year-old Watt or the underachieving Highsmith, one of them goes so Herbig can start on the edge.
But maybe there's another solution and it's one we would have never considered if Mike Tomlin was still the head coach and Teryl Austin was still the defensive coordinator. What if Pittsburgh moves Herbig to inside linebacker? Teams worked Herbig out at inside linebacker during the predraft process and at least considered the idea before the Steelers selected him in 2023.
Herbig at inside linebacker in the modern NFL would be in name only but it would get him into the starting lineup and on the field without pushing Watt or Highsmith to the sideline. The three of them could rotate inside and outside and the pass rush would finally become unpredictable and dynamic.
Having said that, a position change still means someone could be traded but in this case, the most likely candidate would be linebacker Patrick Queen. Queen has been mentioned in rumors and is another player looking for a new deal but isn't likely to get one.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: A position change might be the solution to the Steelers linebacker problem
Continue reading...
