While the Jacksonville Jaguars have a roster stacked with talent on both sides of the ball, they need to bolster the interior defensive line and the pass rush if they want to make a deep playoff push in 2026. The NFL Draft will be the best venue to address both needs.
After all, the Jags have 11 picks, four of them in Rounds 2 and 3, so they have enough ammo to fortify the defensive trenches. Having said that, they could also take care of either issue via trade. If that's the route they want to take, they've just been offered an intriguing suggestion to turbocharge the pass rush.
The Jaguars are being urged to trade for Steelers edge rusher Nick Herbig
Gus Logue of SB Nation came up with three trade proposals for the Jaguars to address the pass rush. One of them involves Jonathan Greenard. You've probably heard about that one here. He also brougth up defensive tackle Jalen Carter as an option to bolster the defensive trenches. That's also been discussed here. The issue is that the Philadelphia Eagles don't appear to be willing to move him. The one pitch that stands out is the one involving Nick Herbig, a fourth-round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2023.
Even though he's stuck behind T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, Herbig has shown pass-rush capabilities, racking up a combined 13.0 sacks the past two years. Here's what Logue had to say.
"Hergib, a tenacious yet slippery pass rusher who alaways seem to show up in big-time moments, is entering his contract season in the league's most expensive defense," Logue wrote. "To my surprise, I haven't noticed his name in any 'trade candidate' articles this offseason — but I'd bet every NFL team will be monitoring his availability until his future in Pittsburgh becomes clearer."
Logue continued, "The Steelers have underutilized their 2023 fourth-round pick. Sure, T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith deserve to play the majority of snaps and start at outside linebacker, but Hergib is too talented to keep off the field in high-leverage situations."
For the sake of transparency, Herbig has indeed been the subject of trade chatter this offseason. Marcus Musher of Fansided pitched the Steelers to trade him to the Dallas Cowboys to move up in the first round of this year's draft. Similarly, Todd McShay of ESPN suggested Pittsburgh ship him to the Eagles in return for quarterback Tanner McKee.
Logue does have a point, though. Herbig is flying under the radar, and his untap potential could make him an intriguing trade candidate. This begs the question: What should the Jaguars or any other team give up for him?
In his article, Logue suggests Herbig is worth a second-round pick and a third-rounder. However, because he's entering a contract year, he'll be looking for an extension. That could make him a bit more affordable. Maybe a second and a fifth that came become a fourth will get a deal done.
Why it makes sense for the Jaguars to trade for Nick Herbig
By trading for Nick Herbig, the Jaguars would fix the pass rush. Sure, they have Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen in the fold but need to round out their rotation with a No. 3 that can wreak havoc at the line of scrimmage. He fits the bill.
The issue with trading for Hergib is that the Jags would be without their second round, which could come in handy to bolster the interior defensive line. Having said that, they would still have three picks in Round 3. At that point of the draft, they could target Domonique Orange or Darnell Jackson Jr. to bolster the defensive tackle position.
Another thing to keep in mind is that the Jaguars would need to give Herbig an extension. Working in their favor is that they don't have to worry right away, and if he doesn't make an impact, they can simply let him walk in 2027. If that's how things play out, though, he'll be an expensive one-year rental.
On the other hand, if Hergib does break out, the Jaguars won't mind giving him a new deal. But that also comes with a downside. Walker is entering the last year of his rookie deal, and it may be a bit harder to re-sign him if he has a banner season and the Jags extend Herbig. Then again, that would be a good problem to have.
The bottom line is that the Jaguars would get better if they traded for Nick Herbig. It would be a bit costly, but it would be worth it.
Grade: B (because of the cost of trading for him)