Nick Herbig’s emergence is not the only reason that he has been the impetus for the Steelers’ deployment of a 3-OLB subpackage. Yes, they recognize that he’s simply too good to take off the field with T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith. But there’s a reason that they continued to use it last week with Highsmith out, using rookie Jack Sawyer.
“I think Nick can rush from anywhere,” DC Teryl Austin said of Herbig, via transcript from the Steelers’ media department. “If he gets the space needed, he can really be a hard block for guys inside because of his quickness. So that is one thing that is attractive about that package. But we also like Nick rushing outside, and I think that package gives us the flexibility to deploy him anywhere.”
When the Steelers do use the 3-OLB package, you will frequently see Nick Herbig as the one off the ball. His lack of size and length is less of an issue inside, and his speed is an even bigger asset. It’s particularly effective on stunts, looping around to apply pressure.
Cam Heyward doing it again. Sly “hug” with his outside hand on the Bengals LG to make it harder for him to switch off to a looping Herbig.
Herbig rushes in free & combines with Watt for the pressure. Flacco throws it right to Dugger.
Heyward with the ultimate vet savvy. https://t.co/f96Eag7cHA pic.twitter.com/Ua7mnYmTIs
— Alex Kozora (@Alex_Kozora) November 19, 2025
The Steelers like to use the 3-OLB package, particularly on third down, for obvious reasons. When you get a team in an obvious passing situation, you want your obvious pass rushers on the field. Nick Herbig has proven since his rookie season that he can do just that, and this year is no different.
Herbig has a slight edge over Watt and Highsmith for the team lead in sacks. He’s sitting at 6.5, with Watt having 6 and Highsmith at 5.5. Just the three of them combined for 18 of the Steelers’ 33 sacks this season. As a team, though, they have 12 contributors to the cause, including one from Sawyer.
Once the Steelers have the outside linebacker room fully healthy, with Watt, Highsmith, Herbig, and Sawyer, they could do even more with the 3-OLB package. It will be interesting to see how they use it this week, however, against a young and mobile quarterback.
While the Steelers would still use it without Nick Herbig, though, its ability to rush so effectively from the inside makes it as potent as it is, or can be. And as Austin strongly implied, it’s part of the incentive for them to break it out. After all, it doesn’t make sense to use a 3-OLB look often unless you have a third worth playing. The Steelers certainly do, and appear to believe they have a fourth as well.
