The Pittsburgh Steelers have always been known for having a dominant defense dating back to the 70s when the Steel Curtain terrorized opposing offenses. The 90s Steelers were nicknamed Blitzburgh due to the pressure they put on opposing QBs, having the likes of Greg Lloyd and Kevin Greene hunting the passer. The Steelers teams of the 2000s also had imposing pass rushers including Joey Porter Sr., James Harrison, and LaMarr Woodley, who all made Pro Bowls and helped Pittsburgh capture multiple Super Bowl titles.
The new era of Steelers’ pass rushers has come now heading into 2023 as OLBs T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith form one of the best EDGE duos in football paired with DL Cameron Heyward, who is one of the best pass rushing interior DL in the league. According to Stathead, Pittsburgh has three of the most productive pass rushers from the last three seasons from a pressure perspective. Making the list was Watt at #1 with 126 pressures from 2020-2022, Heyward at #14 with 93, and newly signed EDGE Markus Golden at #19 with 87.
Highsmith didn’t crack the top 20 since the list includes pressures from 2020 to 2022. Highsmith wasn’t a full-time player until he became a starter in 2021. As for Watt, ranking #1 on the list isn’t much of a surprise since the 2021 DPOY has been consistently one of the best pass rushers in football since coming into the league in 2017, operating as a one-man wrecking crew on opposing offenses. Still, it is impressive that Watt currently claims the top spot despite missing seven games last season with a pec injury that landed him on IR. He racked up only 13 pressures in 2022 compared to 61 in 2020 and 52 in 2021.
Heyward’s inclusion in the top 15 of this list speaks to his consistency over the course of his NFL career and how he has seemed to get better with age logging 10+ sacks in back-to-back seasons and 30+ pressures in four straight seasons. As for Golden, just making the top 20 speaks to the value Pittsburgh got by signing the free agent to a bargain one-year deal. Golden has never made a Pro Bowl, but he has three double-digit sack seasons on his resume and has been a productive pass rusher throughout his NFL career, logging 35 pressures just in 2021.
When you add Highsmith and the likes of Larry Ogunjobi into the mix, the Steelers appear ready to push for the league lead in sacks again in 2023 after missing the mark for the first time in years last season. They have arguably the best pass rusher in football with Watt while having complementary pieces like Highsmith and Heyward, who are Pro Bowl-caliber players themselves that defenses must account for. Throw Golden and Ogunjobi into the mix, and Pittsburgh could realistically pace the league in pressures this coming season, bringing the heat to opposing offenses on a weekly basis.
