How much will the Steelers use their 3-OLB package with a healthy set of pass rushers?
For the first time since Week 3, the Steelers will have T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Nick Herbig available simultaneously. For every game since then, they have had to do without either Highsmith or Herbig, if not both. With Herbig already back and producing, Highsmith is now set to return.
With Watt coming off one of his best games of the year, it seems a suitable time for the Steelers to unleash their pass rush. Herbig himself is on a two-game run with strip-sacks. Not long before his latest injury, Highsmith was coming off one of the best games of his career.
The Steelers already employed a 3-OLB package early in the season when they had all of their top edge rushers available. On Wednesday, Alex Highsmith told reporters that he anticipates they will work that in again. He added that they plan to continue flipping sides, something Watt also acknowledged.
For most of the season, the Steelers have relied on a more traditional four-man pass-rush plan. While that has worked at times more than others, it seems there is some urgency for improvement down the stretch. With a tough stretch of games upcoming against winning teams, the Steelers want to have their bag full of tricks at the ready.
Up to now, that hasn’t even been an option for them due to injuries. The Steelers haven’t even been able to exploit their depth for three-quarters of the season. But that is about to change—barring yet another setback.
Having Watt, Highsmith, and Herbig all rushing the passer together should pose real problems for opposing offenses. All three pass rushers are more than capable of winning their one-on-one battles, and only one needs to get home. The package also gives the Steelers more options to hide their intentions, preserving two great edge rushers even if they drop one into coverage.
The Steelers’ 2024 season is underway, following another disappointing year ending in a first-round playoff loss. They have had a long offseason since the Buffalo Bills stamped them out of their misery back in January. There are positive signs, but things could jump off the rails any moment.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Is Russell Wilson earning a lucrative new deal next year, and is Justin Fields still in consideration? How will the team continue to address the depth chart, which is surprisingly still in flux?
The regular season is here, following weeks of camp and preseason games. The Steelers made numerous moves through signings and trade—and release. More than usual, they seemed comfortable creating holes, confident they can fill them. Some they managed to fill, others not so much. Now that we have so many pieces of the puzzle, however, we merely have a new set of questions to ask.
