The odds of the Pittsburgh Steelers becoming the first No. 7 seed to win a playoff game in the NFL playoffs took a major hit when head coach Mike Tomlin officially ruled out T.J. Watt for the Wild Card matchup against the Buffalo Bills. But unlike in years past, the Steelers have a lot of trust in their edge rushing depth, which includes rookie Nick Herbig.

While speaking to reporters on January 10, Herbig expressed the confidence he has in himself.

“It just comes down to preparation and hard work,” Herbig told the media, via Steelers Now’s Nick Farabaugh. “When the lights come on, you are going to see the preparation and hard work come to fruition.”

Herbig has mostly play special teams as a rookie. But he experienced an impressive preseason and started playing more defensive snaps in December.

The Steelers will be counting on Herbig and veteran edge rusher Markus Golden to pressure Bills quarterback Josh Allen without Watt.

Time for Nick Herbig to ‘Step Up’ for Steelers

It’s impossible to replace Watt. He led the NFL in sacks for the third time in four seasons with 19 during 2023. He also had 19 tackles for loss, 36 quarterback hits, 8 pass defenses, 4 forced fumbles and an interception.

But after losing Watt for seven games last season, the Steelers acquired depth along the edge last spring and summer. In the 2023 NFL draft, Pittsburgh selected Herbig in the fourth round.

“We’re as deep at that position as we’ve been in some time,” Tomlin told reporters on January 9. “We’re comfortable with the quality of depth.”