Tag: Alex Highsmith

5 Steelers players to watch vs. Chargers

The Steelers have talent on both sides of the ball.

It’s a battle of two undefeated teams in Week 3. The Chargers travel to Pittsburgh to face Mike Tomlin and the 2-0 Steelers in a game that figures to be low scoring.

It’s one that should be decided in the trenches, as physicality is considered a strength for each team. Here some players to keep an eye on this weekend from the Steelers’ side of things.

C Zach Frazier

It seems like the Steelers have found their center of the future. After a few years of poor play from the position, their 2024 second-rounder has looked stellar through the first two weeks. He’s helped stabilize the offensive line, something the team has been lacking for a few years now. Frazier’s matchup against the interior portion of the Chargers’ defensive line, namely Poona Ford, will be a major key to the Week 3 matchup. 

WR George Pickens

Pickens is by far Pittsburgh’s top playmaker, and he has eight catches for 114 yards so far on the season. The rest of the Steelers’ receiving core has combined for just five catches and 28 receiving yards. If there’s one guy that the Chargers can’t let take over the game, it’s Pickens. He certainly has the ability and talent to do so, as he accumulated 1,140 receiving yards last season.

Edge rushers T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith

These two form arguably the best pass rushing duo in all of football. Watt is arguably the best defender in the NFL, while Highsmith is quite the running mate. Through two games, they’ve continued to wreck havoc, including last week against the Broncos. Their matchups against the Chargers’ offensive tackles, who have been elite this season, could decide the fate of this game.

CB Joey Porter Jr.

There’s no question as to who is the top corner in Pittsburgh. Only in his second season, Porter has enjoyed a stellar start to the season. If there is one weakness to his game, he does tend to get a bit handsy in coverage at times. He was flagged multiple times in Week 2 against the Broncos, so that’s something to watch. Justin Herbert may be wise to shy away from Porter throughout the game on Sunday if he wants to be able to have success through the air.

K Chris Boswell

It sounds a bit strange to include a kicker in this, but Boswell has become one of the best kickers in the NFL. Through two games, he’s a perfect 8-for-8 on field goal attempts, including 4-for-4 from over 50 yards. Kickers across the league have been exceptional to start the season, and Boswell has single-handedly helped the Steelers to a 2-0 start. It’s important for the Chargers defense to not even allow Pittsburgh’s offense into field goal range because at this point, it seems like an automatic three points for the Steelers.

Steelers EDGE Alex Highsmith was a ‘pain in the rear’ for Denver

Alex Highsmith had one of the sacks of Broncos quarterback Bo Nix on Sunday.

When it comes to the Pittsburgh Steelers defense, edge rusher T.J. Watt steals the headlines. After him, guys like Cam Heyward, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Joey Porter Jr. get all the attention. But Steelers fans understand just how valuable edge rusher Alex Highsmith is to this defense.

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton knows that as well. He called Highsmith a “pain in the rear” for the Broncos noting that the Steelers defense extends beyond just Watt.

What Highsmith does on defense doesn’t always show up in the boxscore but he is the guy who lines up opposite the opposing team’s left tackle all game long and gets their best.

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Highsmith finished Sunday’s game with four tackles, a sack, two tackles for loss and a quarterback hurry. He and Watt had rookie Bo Nix under constant duress in the first half and it was pressure up front that forced the game-ending interception by safety Damontae Kazee.

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Steelers lead at halftime despite a pair of questionable calls by refs

The Steelers lead the Broncos 10-0 at halftime.

The Pittsburgh Steelers went into halftime against the Denver Broncos with a 10-0 lead thanks to tight end Darnell Washington’s first NFL touchdown and a short field goal but kicker Chris Boswell to close out the half.

Denver is probably fortunate to only trail by 10 after two very questionable calls against the Steelers on the team’s final drives of the half. Offensive tackle Broderick Jones had three penalties called on him in a single draft with the last being a very ticky tack hold that negated a huge reception by wide receiver George Pickens.

Then on the Steelers final drive, wide receiver Van Jefferson was called for a pick that negated a Pickens touchdown catch that looked no different than a play we see every team in the NFL run multiple times per game with no attention from the officials.

The Steelers defense was masterful in the first half. Broncos quarterback Bo Nix has only 39 passing yards and Denver’s leading rusher is running back Tyler Badie who has 16 yards on one carry. Outside linebackers T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith each have a sack in the first half.

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Steelers matchups to watch: Week 2 (DEN) – Alex Highsmith vs. Garett Bolles

Alex Highsmith could have a huge game against the Broncos.

One matchup that has the ability to completely shift the Steelers’ Week 2 game in their favor would be Alex Highsmith versus the Broncos’ left tackle, Garett Bolles.  Highsmith is one of the most underrated edge rushers in the game, no thanks to the inclusion of T.J. Watt opposite of him, but consistently puts up great pass-rush numbers.  Bolles also has an elite player on the opposite side of him in McGlinchey, but how does he hold his own on the offensive line?

Unlike his fellow right tackle, left tackle Garett Bolles struggled mightily in his Week 1 seasonal debut.  He wasn’t effective at opening up lanes in the run game, and he certainly didn’t do Bo Nix any favors by keeping the pressure off him.  On 37 passing snaps, Bolles allowed a whopping five pressures.

Highsmith, who is excellent in run defense and passrush, will look to key in on his opposition’s weaknesses.  The Seahawks will not be necessarily known for having an elite passrush this season, but were still able to take advantage of Bolles.  Highsmith going up against Garett Bolles this Sunday will look more like a bull in a china shop than an equal matchup.

There are few positional matchups that the Pittsburgh Steelers can lean heavily on to disrupt the football game this week, however, the Broncos’ right tackle is one of those advantageous positions.  The Pittsburgh Steelers will look to add another win to their 1-0 start and fans will want to key in on matchups like this one, at 4:25 pm EST, September 15th.

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Has Steelers EDGE Nick Herbig’s emergence made Alex Highsmith expendable?

The Pittsburgh Steelers have an emerging star at outside linebacker in Nick Herbig, making Alex Highsmith potentially expendable.

Since outside linebacker Nick Herbig came to the Pittsburgh Steelers by way of Wisconsin in 2023, he’s been an impactful player and continues to emerge.

With 11 total pressures generated (two sacks, eight hurries and one hit) on 81 pass rush snaps, Herbig has undoubtedly made the most of the limited exposure. On 107 run defense snaps, the former fourth-round pick has 12 tackles (nine solo) and forced a fumble.

Herbig earned an elite grade from Pro Football Focus for his 3.5-sack preseason performance.

Just last year, Pittsburgh inked Alex Highsmith to a five-year $68 million contract. According to Spotrac, the Steelers have a potential out next season, putting $16.6 million in dead cap on the books.

Trading Highsmith and inserting a more affordable Herbig makes financial sense for a Steelers team that’s historically frugal with salary cap dollars.

No matter what happens there, Herbig’s role could increase in 2024.

“We’re going to find a role for a guy like that, whether he’s a starter or not,” Mike Tomlin said of Herbig after the Steelers August 24 preseason finale. “He’s got an opportunity to be significant.”

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Mike Tomlin: Steelers are ‘pushing forward’ with Alex Highsmith

The Steelers are ready to bring EDGE Alex Highsmith back into the fold.

Like many teams, the Pittsburgh Steelers are already dealing with injuries. Running back Jaylen Warren (hamstring) is expected to be out for a few weeks. Nate Herbig, the presumed starting center, could be done for the season.

If anyone is lucky, it’s Alex Highsmith. Pittsburgh’s 2022 sack leader sustained a groin injury at training camp practice earlier this month.

A groin injury is tricky, as we saw with Cameron Heyward last season. He nursed a one throughout training camp, and it tore off the bone 14 snaps into the Steelers Week 1 loss to the San Fransisco 49ers.

The Steelers have remained cautious with their right outside linebacker, but Mike Tomlin stated they’ll bring him back into the fold this week.

“Should be fine,” Tomlin said after the Bills game on Saturday. “Had a couple good days of work. We’ll be pushing forward this week.”

Hopefully, the Steelers learned their lesson from Heyward doing too much too soon. Highsmith will want to play every snap, but Tomlin and defensive coordinator Teryl Austin should not be hesitant to plug Nick Herbig in more often until Highsmith is 100%.

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Steelers remain cautious with EDGE Alex Highsmith injury

Steelers EDGE rusher Alex Highsmith participated in solo work on Monday for the first time since his Aug. 6 injury.

When Alex Highsmith left practice last week with a groin injury, flashbacks of Cameron Heyward‘s 2023 season hit hard. Heyward fought a right groin injury throughout training camp, and it tore completely off the bone in their Week 1 loss to the San Fransisco 49ers.

According to Steelers Now’s Alan Saunders, Highsmith participated in solo work today for the first time since his Aug. 6 injury.

Trainers and coaches remain rightfully cautious with the Steelers’ 2022 sack leader. Heyward was never the same upon his return from injured reserve midseason and the defensive line suffered. The unit can’t afford a repeat of Heyward in 2024.

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Would you include EDGE Alex Highsmith in a trade for Brandon Aiyuk?

If the Steelers want Brandon Aiyuk, it could cost them Alex Highsmith.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has officially requested a trade, which puts him squarely on the radar of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The media have linked the Steelers and Aiyuk for weeks; this latest news only worsens things.

But what would it cost? Some have offered up a hypothetical that would include Steelers starting edge Alex Highsmith. Some have mentioned offensive tackle Dan Moore Jr. but in terms of tradable players, Highsmith offers the most value.

If the Steelers did trade for Aiyuk, it would more than fix their issues at wide receiver. But if Highsmith is part of the deal, it would leave the Steelers very shorthanded at edge rusher. If Nick Herbig can be the guy, that’s great but it would drain all the depth the Steelers have.

Cast your vote and let us know if you think the Steelers should use Highsmith to fix their wide receiver issues, even if it means creating another problem on the roster.

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Steelers EDGE Nick Herbig our top breakout candidate for 2024

The Steelers are counting on Nick Herbig to play a much larger role in 2024.

For all the changes the Pittsburgh Steelers made to the roster this offseason, one more that happened rather quietly but could have a serious impact on the team is the team’s choice not to re-sign veteran edge defender Markus Golden.

With Golden gone and no real replacement on the roster, Nick Herbig is the guy who is taking up the mantle as the team’s primary backup pass rusher to T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmit.

This might seem short-sighted given Herbig only played just under 17 percent of the defensive snaps last season and finished with only three sacks. But it is clear the coaching staff have the confidence in him to place no barriers in his way to an increased role.

The combination of Herbig and Golden accounted for 421 snaps and the combo had seven sacks. Pittsburgh saw in 2022 what life can be like when Watt was out with an injury so we fully expect to see Watt, Highsmith and Herbig in a more legitimate three-man rotation in an effort to keep Watt fresh and healthy for the second half of the season.

We are counting on a big year from Herbig and the version of him we saw in the second half of the 2023 season.

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Steelers left out of PFF’s perfect AFC North team

No Steelers positional unit made the PFF AFC North team.

Pro Football Focus has made it no secret they don’t think much of the Pittsburgh Steelers. All you have to do is look at their assignment of grades and understand that for whatever reason, Pittsburgh players get the short end of the stick.

So when they ranked every positional unit in the AFC North and put together their ultimate roster, they didn’t have the Steelers as having the best of any positional unit on either side of the football.

You can see how PFF’s roster broke down by unit from the tweet below. We take exception with two units in particular.

First up we have running back. We all respect what Derrick Henry has done as a player but as a unit, the soon-to-be 30-year-old running back and Justice Hill’s 387 rushing yards last season don’t impress us nearly as much as what Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren did as a combo last season.

Then we look at the linebacker spot where PFF has the Ravens ahead of the Steelers as well. If we include all linebackers, is there a stronger group than T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Patrick Queen and Elandon Roberts/Payton Wilson? That foursome definitely trumps Kyle Van Noy, Odafe Oweh, Trenton Simpson and Roquan Smith.

Aside from those two, we have no issues with the Steelers not being on top in any other categories.

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