Though he dealt with multiple injuries that kept him sidelined for stretches of games throughout the 2024 season, Pittsburgh Steelers veteran outside linebacker Alex Highsmith was once again a force when on the field.
While T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward get a lot of the love and attention in the Steelers’ defensive front — and rightfully so — Highsmith remains a very good player on the edge, both as a run defender and rushing the passer.
So good, in fact, that Highsmith landed inside Pro Football Focus’ Top 101 players from the 2024 season. In a piece highlighting No. 41-101, Highsmith landed at No. 65 overall, in between Philadelphia Eagles guard Landon Dickerson and Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin.
“Highsmith missed a handful of games due to injury but performed at a nearly elite level when he was on the field this season. He finished with an outstanding 89.1 overall grade that made him and T.J. Watt the only pair of teammates that both ranked inside the top 10 in overall grade,” PFF writes in the top 101 rankings. “Despite playing just 12 games, Highsmith racked up 54 pressures and [six] sacks while carrying an excellent 17.5% pass-rush win rate.”
Highsmith missed three games with a groin injury that had lingered from training camp, ultimately knocking him from the lineup late in the first half against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 3. He returned in Week 7 against the New York Jets but then suffered a low-ankle sprain in Week 10 against the Washington Commanders, keeping him out of the lineup for another three games before returning in Week 14 against the Cleveland Browns.
On the year, Highsmith played in 11 of a possible 17 games, marking the fewest he’s played in a season in his career. He saw 525 snaps and finished among the 10 highest-graded EDGE defenders in football, according to PFF.
He generated an overall grade of 89.5, including a 79.7 against the run and an 89.7 pass-rush grade. He had 48 pressures as a pass rusher and recorded 26 run stops. In eight of the 11 games Highsmith played during the regular season, he generated at least four pressures rushing the passer.
The sack numbers weren’t there for Highsmith as he recorded just 6.0 sacks, but 6.0 in 11 games, and an average of 4.5 pressures per game when healthy marked quite a season for the former third-round pick. If he can stay healthy in 2025, Highsmith should have another big year and continue to be one of the better outside linebackers in the NFL.
