The Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense is one of the better units in football, and a big reason for that is because of the success they’ve had at outside linebacker between Alex Highsmith and T.J. Watt. Highsmith led the team with 14.5 sacks last season, while Watt tied the NFL single-season sack record with 22.5 sacks in 2021. The team added Markus Golden as depth this offseason, and the group looks good enough for Mike Clay to give them a 3.9 unit grade (on a scale of 0-5) good enough for second in the NFL.
The only team that was able to edge out Pittsburgh was the Los Angeles Chargers, who received a grade of 4.0. The Chargers duo of Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack only combined for 10.5 sacks last season as Bosa missed 12 games with an injury. Given the talent both Bosa and Mack have, it’s fair to expect the duo to put up big numbers together and it’s a fair placement to put them ahead of Pittsburgh.
But Bosa’s dealt with injuries his whole career and Mack is slowing down just a step with age, so in a year or two the Highsmith-Watt duo could surpass them and potentially see themselves coming in at No. 1. If you factor in that Watt also missed time last season and should have a bigger season this year and the addition of Golden, who’s amassed double-digit sacks on numerous occasions and the Steelers EDGE unit could be the most productive in the league in 2023.
Watt being healthy also bolsters other units. With more attention on him, there’s going to be less teams can do to prevent Cameron Heyward and Larry Ogunjobi from getting to the quarterback, and it could lead to another prolific team sack total from Pittsburgh. The group faltered a little bit last season, struggling to get consistent pressure with Watt out, but when he was healthy the pass rush was up there among the best in football, even if he wasn’t always the one getting to the quarterback.
Assuming the core members of the defense remain fully healthy this season, the pass rush and the EDGE unit will be among the league’s best. Clay also had Pittsburgh’s defensive line as a top-10 group in football with a 3.1 unit grade, so as a whole, the Steelers defense should be scary in 2023.
It will have to be one of the better groups in the NFL if Pittsburgh wants to make a run in the playoffs, but in the brutal AFC North, just getting there will be a tall task. Hopefully, the defense can meet or exceed expectations and help carry the Steelers into the postseason.
