The sack numbers might not be there currently for Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker Alex Highsmith, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t impacting the game by getting after the quarterback.
Highsmith, who signed a four-year, $68 million extension in the offseason to remain a member of the Steelers long-term, leads the NFL with 49 pressures. However, those pressures aren’t always leading to sacks as Highsmith has just 4.5 sacks on the season.
For the fourth-year pass rusher he’s not discouraged by the low number of sacks, especially coming off of a 14.5-sack season in 2022 because he knows he’s still disrupting the passer at a high rate with the amount of pressures he’s generating.
“You know, ultimately sacks are amazing to us. That’s the goal of rushing the passer, getting those. But for me, I also pride myself on being able to get pressure on the quarterback and getting those pressures sometimes leads to some bad throws and stuff like that,” Highsmith said to reporters Thursday from the locker room inside the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the South Side, according to video via the Tribune-Review’s Chris Adamski. “So for me, I just want to continue rushing, whether it’s sacks or pressures, whatever I get, I just wanna keep rushing and keep getting after them.”
Highsmith is coming off an 11-pressure game against the Tennessee Titans on Thursday Night Football, giving him his second 11-pressure game of the year, with his previous one coming in Week Five against the Baltimore Ravens at Acrisure Stadium.
The 11 pressures against the Titans came in a display of dominance. Highsmith destroyed Tennessee left tackle Andre Dillard throughout the night, also finishing with two sacks in Steelers’ the come-from-behind 20-16 win. He should have had a third sack, but it was wiped out by a penalty on rookie cornerback Joey Porter Jr.
Along with his near-50 pressures, Highsmith is inside the top 15 of NFL EDGE rushers when it comes to Pro Football Focus grades. Currently, Highsmith holds a grade of 87.9, which includes an 81.7 pass-rush grade and a 76.0 run-defense grade.
He’s becoming a complete player and it’s showing weekly. While T.J. Watt might be racking up the sacks opposite him, Highsmith remains an uber-productive, dominant part of the star tandem in the Steel City.
If he can continue to put a ton of heat on quarterbacks in the second half of the season, the sacks will come.
