The Pittsburgh Steelers have two elite EDGE rushers in T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, but the two usually don’t switch spots, and rush from their respective sides. Highsmith usually rushes from the left while Watt rushes from the right, but against the New York Giants, the two switched sides, which freed up both of them, as Highsmith got a sack from the opposite side and Watt had a few good rushes. While that isn’t something that the Steelers do often, defensive coordinator Teryl Austin told reporters that the Steelers are going to do “whatever it takes” to free up Watt to help him rush the passer.
“We’ll uncover every stone, try to do everything that we can in our power to help free up T.J. [Watt] because he’s an elite rusher. That was part of the plan that week. Moving forward, if we need to do it again, whatever it takes for us is what we’ll have to do. Again, I can’t tell you what exactly we’re going to do. I can tell you we’re going to try to do what’s in the best interest of our players,” Austin said via transcript provided by the team.
It was a good move against the Giants, and while Highsmith and Watt have pass-rush moves that work better on their respective sides, giving their opponents a different look against someone new can be beneficial, especially later in the game when they’re more worn out. Because it’s not something the Steelers have done often, it’s not something teams usually are expecting or planning for, and it gives the Steelers an advantage.
Adding Preston Smith at the trade deadline gives the Steelers someone who’s been an accomplished pass-rusher in the league and who can also come in and help spell Watt and Highsmith, keeping them fresh throughout games and throughout the second half of the season. That should only make them better when it comes to getting after the passer, and it’s something that else that should help free Watt up.
Obviously, Austin isn’t going to detail Pittsburgh’s plan ahead of their Week 10 matchup with the Washington Commanders, but it does sound as if Pittsburgh is considering having Watt and Highsmith potentially switch sides again this weekend to help bolster the pass rush and free Watt up. He has 6.5 sacks this season, and that number could grow going up against Andrew Wylie on the right side, but Washington LT Cornelius Lucas is banged up, and that’s a matchup Watt could look to take advantage of for a few snaps on the left side.
It’s clear the Steelers want to get Watt into favorable matchups, and mixing where he lines up and giving the opponent a different look is a good way to do so. For the Steelers to be a contender, Watt will need to be just as productive in the second half as he was in the first half, and the Steelers are clearly looking for ways to make that happen.
