Two Pittsburgh Steelers were named to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell’s “all-backup” NFL team, with RB Rico Dowdle and OLB Nick Herbig making the list. Barnwell put together a full roster of the NFL’s best backups to see if it could compete in the NFL, and both Dowdle and Herbig were rather obvious inclusions on the list.
Barnwell wrote that if he was doing it in a draft style, he would’ve taken Herbig first overall and that Herbig is the best player on the team. That’s no surprise, as Herbig has excelled when given opportunities and just signed an extension to make him one of the NFL’s higher-paid pass rushers.
On almost any other team, Herbig would start, and he might be the best EDGE rusher on most teams around the league. But the Steelers have T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith ahead of him, though Herbig still played 60% of Pittsburgh’s defensive snaps last season when he was healthy.
This year, his playing time will likely continue to tick up. Herbig isn’t a true “backup” but he will likely be third on the team’s OLB depth chart. So while he plays more than backups do, he can still make the list.
Similarly, Dowdle won’t be a true backup, if he is one at all, this season. His familiarity with new Steelers HC Mike McCarthy could lead to Dowdle earning a starting nod to begin the season. Even if Jaylen Warren is the starter, the two will split carries and see similar opportunities.
Coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, Dowdle was again a no-brainer inclusion to this list. The man he replaced in Pittsburgh, RB Kenneth Gainwell, joined him in the backfield on Barnwell’s all-backup team, along with Tyler Allgeier and Keaton Mitchell.
Herbig is joined by fellow EDGE rushers Kingsley Enagbare, Malcolm Koonce, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Al-Quaddin Muhammad.
“This is a legitimately competitive unit, led by Herbig, who has Pro Bowl potential if he gets a starter’s snap share in 2026,” Barnwell writes.
Dowdle and Herbig will certainly have bigger roles for the Steelers this year than what’s thought of as a backup, but their inclusion on Barnell’s list speaks to some of the Steelers’ depth. Dowdle and Warren are one of the best running back duos in the league, while Herbig is only on the list because there are two Pro Bowl EDGE rushers ahead of him.
Both of them should make a big impact this season and will be key as the Steelers look to return to the postseason.
