The Pittsburgh Steelers’ outside linebackers are the engine of the defense. They make everything go, and any deficiencies at the position leave the unit stranded on the side of the road. Having top-tier starters is important and something Pittsburgh’s had since the 1990s, but it also requires the Steelers having excellent depth.
Under Omar Khan and Andy Weidl, that’s been the focus. Pittsburgh hasn’t just rested on its starting laurels. Primarily through the draft, it’s continually added depth.
Compare Kevin Colbert’s final roster-building years (2021 and 2022) with what Omar Khan has done in the three years since. Technically, Khan replaced Colbert in late May 2022 and set the initial roster, but the bulk of free agency and the draft had occurred, making it hard to pin the finished product on Khan. Considering that, there’s a stark difference in the EDGE groups since Khan’s first full offseason.
Initial 53-Man Roster Outside Linebacker Depth Charts
2025 – T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Nick Herbig, Jack Sawyer
2024 – T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Nick Herbig
2023 – T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Markus Golden, Nick Herbig
2022 – T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Derrek Tuszka, Malik Reed
2021 – TJ Watt, Alex Highsmith, Melvin Ingram, Jamir Jones
This list projects out what the 2025 Week One group will look like, a safe bet barring injury. Under Colbert, the team signed Melvin Ingram. A talented player, but someone who soured on the team, citing miscommunication with the team over his role. He thought he was signed to start, but the Steelers inked him to be Alex Highsmith’s backup. Pittsburgh traded him before the deadline. Jamir Jones earned his roster spot but was only a special-teams player who offered little defensively. With Ingram gone, Pittsburgh’s depth was ugly.
Things didn’t get better in 2022. Derrek Tuszka and Malik Reed are the weakest backups on the list (in fairness, Khan traded for Reed). Depth was exposed after T.J. Watt’s Week One pec injury, leaving that motley crew and others, like Taco Charlton, to try to plug the gaps. No one can fill Watt’s shoes, but the pass rush completely tanked without him.
Khan and the Steelers sought to rectify that issue in 2023. Herbig was drafted in the fourth round and has shined, a starting-caliber talent and one of the NFL’s best pass rushers coming off the bench. Golden was a tried and true vet who posted four sacks rotating in behind—a big improvement.
Last season wasn’t ideal, either. Jeremiah Moon was hurt in camp, and Pittsburgh initially rolled with just three outside linebackers on the 53. Injuries to Highsmith and Herbig left Pittsburgh scrambling, though the unit got healthier by year’s end.
Like 2023, Pittsburgh sought reinforcements in the 2025 draft. Jack Sawyer, like Herbig, was taken in the fourth round. A “surprise” to some but a shrewd move of depth and value, Sawyer was viewed by many draftniks as a Top-75 player taken 123rd overall. Pittsburgh will be strong top to bottom if he can function as a solid rotational rusher capable of setting the edge against the run. It’ll be the team’s most complete unit in quite some time, arguably surpassing 2020’s group featuring T.J. Watt, Bud Dupree, Alex Highsmith, and Ola Adeniyi.
Depth can’t be perfect anywhere. Teams have to make choices about what they value most. Pittsburgh is choosing to concentrate and invest in the positions that matter most to the team. Defensively, that’s outside linebacker, and Khan and company focusing here will pay off.
