For years, we saw the Pittsburgh Steelers atop the league in sacks as their personnel and scheme consistently generated pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Last season, Pittsburgh’s production in the sack department fell off (40), and understandably so with former Defensive Player of the Year OLB T.J. Watt missing a good chunk of the 2022 season due to a pec injury he suffered Week One.
Watt is now fully healthy heading into 2023 and the Steelers have bolstered the depth around him, forming one of the better edge rusher groups in the NFL. ESPN analyst Louis Riddick seems to believe so as well, stating on Get Up this morning that he thinks the Steelers are going to get after the San Francisco 49ers and QB Brock Purdy come Sunday.
“The Pittsburgh Steelers’ pass rush is going to terrorize San Francisco,” Riddick said on Get Up, which aired live on ESPN Wednesday. “Look, T.J. Watt, we already know what he can do. One of the best pass rushers in the NFL. Alex Highsmith, they just paid him. He’s a guy that’s now going to be the bookend to T.J. Watt. And remember this name: Nick Herbig. He’s a fourth-round pick out of Wisconsin who just absolutely ripped this in the preseason as far as pass rush.”
Watt’s case as a game-changing pass rusher has been cemented given his resume to date, but Pittsburgh has several other notable pass rushers behind him that can get the job done. Highsmith broke out last season, posting 63 total tackles, 14.5 sacks, and tied the league lead with five forced fumbles. He inked a lucrative contract extension this summer and will pair with Watt for the next several seasons as two guys easily capable of posting double-digit sacks seasons.
Riddick also mentioned the rookie Herbig, who was unblockable at times this preseason, posting 3.5 sacks. Despite below-average size and length, Herbig displayed great pursuit, burst, and fluidity as a pass rusher, setting up tackles to hit a counter back inside to the quarterback or managing to just win with pure speed off the edge. He’s still a rookie, so he may be eased into the rotation with two studs in front of him. Still, Herbig has earned the right to see 8-10 snaps a game on defense to spell Watt or Highsmith and still provide an effective pass rush.
Riddick didn’t even mention OLB Markus Golden, who has been quite the productive pass rusher himself during his NFL career, posting 47 and 11 forced fumbles sacks since 2015. He has three double-digit sacks seasons on his resume, and he plays with brute strength and relentless effort in pursuit of the passer. Having him and Herbig coming off the bench will provide the Steelers with the deepest outside linebacker room they’ve had in years while having DL Cameron Heyward, Larry Ogunjobi, and Keeanu Benton rushing from the interior to make Pittsburgh a vaunted pass rush unit.
The 49ers’ offensive line has a stud left tackle in Trent Williams, but they do have a lot of youth in other spots that Pittsburgh can look to exploit. Watt could have a field day with RT Colton McKivitz while Heyward could look to take advantage of RG Spencer Burford, who is a tad undersized and may struggle to handle Heyward’s power rush.
