While the Pittsburgh Steelers made a lot of moves this offseason, arguably none were bigger than re-signing EDGE rusher Alex Highsmith. Highsmith is coming off a year in which he tallied 14.5 sacks and was rewarded, signing a four-year $68 million contract extension last month.
Tonight, owner Art Rooney II was asked about Alex Highsmith on SiriusXM NFL Radio with hosts Pat Kirwan and Jim Miller and talked about how important it is to have a reliable pass rusher opposite T.J. Watt.
“He’s a special young man, and talk about a steady guy, just somebody you can really trust on the other side from T.J,” Rooney said of Highsmith. “We’ve had combinations of linebackers like that in the past and when you can rush hard from both sides it makes a difference.”
As Rooney said, the Steelers have an illustrious history with linebackers, especially outside linebackers. Over the years, the Steelers have had incredible outside rushers in their 3-4 defense, duos like Greg Lloyd and Kevin Greene and James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley immediately spring to mind. The new era is Watt and Highsmith.
Watt was drafted in 2017 but Batman finally has his long-term Robin with Highsmith’s extension. Drafted in 2020, Highsmith didn’t immediately crack the starting lineup, sitting behind Bud Dupree. After Dupree tore his ACL, Highsmith stepped in and has been a starter ever since (Dupree left in free agency following the 2020 season).
The Steelers and rushing the passer go hand in hand, and when you have a young pass rusher who just tallied 14.5 sacks there is no question on re-signing him. While Highsmith’s numbers did take a hit last season without Watt, only recording 3.5 sacks in seven games without the 2021 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, the duo is almost unstoppable. Double teaming Watt leaves Highsmith on an island with the left tackle and he will win that battle more often than not. And not double-teaming Watt is just asking for trouble. With a secondary that is not filled with world beaters, it is important to be able to rush the quarterback. By locking up Highsmith long-term the Steelers made sure they’ll be capable of doing that for the foreseeable future.
