Nick Herbig will make his second consecutive start at outside linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. He will replace Alex Highsmith, who was ruled out Tuesday by coach Mike Tomlin with a high ankle sprain.

Herbig subbed for Highsmith in the Steelers’ 21-14 victory last Sunday at New England and had a crucial strip-sack that represented the fifth takeaway and set up the winning touchdown drive.

Herbig led the Steelers with four quarterback hits in the game.

Tomlin said the game Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings in Dublin could feature the return of cornerback Joey Porter Jr. and strong safety DeShon Elliott. Each player has missed the past two games because of injury after being hurt in the opener.

“We’ll work those guys this week,” Tomlin said. “They’ll certainly have a chance.”

Neither player has practiced since being injured.

Tomlin compared their situation to Derrick Harmon, who did not practice fully until Friday last week, giving him enough time to be cleared to make his season debut.

“We’ll watch those guys closely and make a decision in the latter part of the week,” Tomlin said.

Cornerback Darius Slay could miss practice time because of a leg contusion he sustained against New England. Tomlin, though, expects Slay to play against the Vikings.

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