Alex Highsmith

Steelers’ Alex Highsmith To Undergo MRI; Multi-Week Absence Likely?

November 11th, 2024 at 12:15pm CST by Adam La Rose

Alex Highsmith has already missed three games this season, and he could be in line to spend further time on the sidelines. The fifth-year edge rusher exited Sunday’s Steelers win with an ankle injury, and further testing will take place to determine the full extent of the damage.

While team and player await those results, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette notes an absence of two to three games is “likely.” Highsmith dealt with a groin injury earlier in the year, but he returned in time to play in the Steelers’ last three games. Missing him for any further period of time would deal a blow to the team’s edge rush.

Highsmith has formed a highly effective tandem with T.J. Watt during his Pittsburgh tenure. The former third-rounder emerged as a full-time starter in 2022, posting six sacks that year. Highsmith followed that up with a career-best 14.5 (along with five forced fumbles), and last season he added another seven to his career total. That production landed him a four-year, $68MM extension and raised expectations for the current campaign.

The 27-year-old has totaled three sacks so far this year, and he will be counted on to remain a starter once he is healthy. Pittsburgh has made it a priority to have veteran depth in the OLB3 role during recent seasons, however, and 2024 is no different. The Steelers acquired Preston Smith ahead of last week’s trade deadline after the Packers granted his request to be moved. The 31-year-old has 156 games to his name, so he will be capable of filling a first-team role for the time being.

As Dulac adds, Nick Herbig is expected to be back in the lineup this week. He has made a pair of starts in his five appearances this year (which, of course, came before the Smith addition), so he will be a candidate to handle a rotational role along the edge while Highsmith recovers. The latter’s return will give Pittsburgh an impressive list of options to complement Watt late in the year.

Pittsburgh’s win on Sunday leaves the team atop the AFC North with a 7-2 record. A crucial divisional matchup against the 7-3 Ravens looms, and not having Highsmith available for that game would be notable for the Steelers’ defense. Further updates on his prognosis will be worth watching closely.

Steelers OLB Alex Highsmith Expected To Miss Multiple Weeks

October 3rd, 2024 at 1:44pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

OCTOBER 3: Pittsburgh is targeting a Week 7 return for Highsmith, ESPN’s Mark Kaboly reports. That would leave him out of the lineup for upcoming matchups against the Cowboys and Raiders but allow him to be back in place with time to spare before the bye.

SETEMBER 24: A groin injury will sideline Steelers outside linebacker Alex Highsmith for multiple weeks, according to Mike DeFabo of The Athletic. Highsmith initially dealt with the injury during training camp and aggravated it during Pittsburgh’s Week 3 win over the Chargers on Sunday.

Highsmith’s injury is not considered major, nor will it require surgery, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, so the veteran could avoid a stint on injured reserve. Still, this will deal a blow to one of the NFL’s best defenses, which has relied on Highsmith as T.J. Watt‘s top wingman for a while.

2023 fourth-round pick Nate Herbig is expected to take over Highsmith’s role, giving the former Wisconsin linebacker his first starting gig in the NFL. Herbig has appeared in 17 games, making 23 tackles, three sacks, and two forced fumbles during a rookie year spent as a rotational edge defender behind Highsmith and Watt.

Herbig took advantage of his opportunity after Highsmith went down on Sunday, finishing the game with two sacks, including a strip-sack of Justin Herbert after beating Chargers Pro Bowl left tackle Rashawn Slater.

Highsmith’s injury leaves the Steelers thin at outside linebacker, with only Jeremiah Moon backing up Watt and Herbig. Rookie linebacker Payton Wilson has the versatility and size to slide outside and play off the edge, a role he occasionally filled at North Carolina State. Practice squad outside linebacker Adetokunbo Ogundeji will likely receive some game day elevations as well.

Highsmith is in the second year of a four-year, $68MM extension signed in 2023 after his 14.5-sack breakout campaign in 2022. The former third-round pick recorded just seven sacks last year and only one over the Steelers’ first three games this season.

While the Steelers are fortunate Highsmith is not facing a long-term absence, his time away will give the team a chance to develop a more well-rounded pass rush beyond relying on its two star edge rushers. Expanded opportunities for Herbig and Moon – plus a potential exploration of Wilson’s versatile blitzing ability — could help Pittsburgh in the long run, giving the 3-0 team more options to pressure opposing quarterbacks later this season.

Latest On Steelers’ Depth At OLB

June 1st, 2024 at 3:45pm CST by Ely Allen

Outside linebacker is not a position of need for the Steelers. Star pass rusher T.J. Watt led the NFL last year with 19.0 sacks, and though the team’s other starter Alex Highsmith only notched seven last year, he showed what he’s capable of with a 14.5-sack campaign in 2022. Those two are going to be on the field a majority of the time, but after watching Watt miss the playoffs last year and seeing an aged Markus Golden depart in free agency, Pittsburgh has made a number of offseason moves to solidify their depth at the position.

Last year’s rookie fourth-round pick out of Wisconsin, Nick Herbig, is the only other edge rusher returning from last year’s roster. According to Mark Kaboly of The Athletic, Herbig is getting first dibs at the OLB3-role in 2024. In his first season of NFL play, Herbig saw less than a quarter of the snaps that Watt and Highsmith did but was up there in playing time with Golden. Despite the limited snaps, Herbig made the most of his time on the field, logging 27 tackles, five tackles for loss, three sacks, three quarterback hits, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery.

That means this year’s rookie third-round pick, NC State’s Payton Wilson, will not be the first outside linebacker off the bench in his first season. Wilson also wasn’t necessarily known as a pass rusher in Raleigh, so it might just mean that Herbig and Wilson will sport different roles in 2024. Herbig may be the first player off the bench in pass rushing situations, and Wilson may be the first guy in during rushing or drop back scenarios. Wilson is on the roster as an outside linebacker for the Steelers as Patrick Queen, Cole Holcomb, and Elandon Roberts patrol the middle. Wilson was disruptive in college, sporting 48.0 tackles for loss to his name, but only logged 15.0 sacks in that time. His versatility as a linebacker with seven career interceptions and 20 passes defensed in college mean that Wilson and Herbig could both be utilized off the bench equally but in very different situations.

Another offseason addition the team made was the claiming of former division-rival Jeremiah Moon off of waivers. A former undrafted player from Florida, Moon spent his entire rookie season on the practice squad for the Ravens but made one start in eight game appearances in 2023. Like Wilson, Moon has never been much of a pass rusher but was an effective tackler during his time in Gainesville.

Joining the position room as rookies alongside Wilson are undrafted signees Julius Welschof and Jacoby Windmon. Windmon, who saw time in college at UNLV and Michigan State, is more in the mold of Wilson and Moon. Welschof, who attended school at Michigan and Charlotte, is a former defensive lineman, though he wasn’t much of an established pass rusher in college.

While Golden only played 70 more snaps in the regular season than Herbig in 2023, when Watt was injured in the playoffs, that OLB3 role became huge. With Watt being no stranger to injury over the past two seasons, who will man that role going forward is an important distinction. As of right now, Herbig is getting the first opportunity to earn that role. He’ll likely hold onto that responsibility as the top pass rusher off the bench while Moon and the rookies fill more versatile roles on the defense in 2024.

Contract Details: Brown, Phillips, Highsmith

May 12th, 2024 at 9:58pm CST by Ely Allen

The Eagles recently made A.J. Brown the highest-paid wide receiver in NFL history. We already knew a number of details from that incredible contract, but thanks to Will Laws of Sports Illustrated, we now know of a wild detail with unprecedented consequences.

Laws points out that Brown’s deal includes a void year at the end of the contract that will hold a $53.52MM cap hit. This is actually a common contract technique the Eagles have been employing in recent years that allow them a ton of flexibility financially. Several other players have massive voidable cap hits like Jalen Hurts ($97.55MM), DeVonta Smith ($35.78MM), and others.

This likely doesn’t mean that someday the Eagles will suddenly be committing a triple-digit cap figure to players no longer on their roster. That could only happen if they see every contract through to completion. More likely, Philadelphia will be extremely strategic about how long to hold on to those players, cutting them at times that will allow for ideal cap savings. For instance, starting in 2027, the Eagles will be able to cut Brown and receive more in cap savings than they’ll be losing to dead money.

Here are a few other contract details on recent deals around the NFL:

Thanks to the veteran salary benefit, the Buccaneers‘ new deal with defensive end William Gholston will have the minimum $1.21MM base salary that will only count for $1.15MM against the salary cap, according to Greg Auman of FOX Sports. Gholston will also be able to earn an active roster bonus of $167.5K in Week 1.
The Texans recently signed linebacker Jacob Phillips to a new contract. Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 tells us the deal is for one year and $1.15MM. He’ll receive a base salary of $1.06MM and a signing bonus of $45K. He can earn additional per game active roster bonuses of $2,941 for a potential season-total of $50K.
This last bullet is actually details on a restructure that the Steelers pulled off recently with pass rusher Alex Highsmith, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The team was able to convert $8.75MM of Highsmith’s 2024 base salary into a signing bonus while adding a void year to the end of his four-year deal, $68MM deal. As a result, Pittsburgh clears out $7MM of cap space.

Steelers’ T.J. Watt Placed In Concussion Protocol

December 13th, 2023 at 9:06pm CST by Ben Levine

DECEMBER 13: Watt has been officially cleared by an independent neurological consultant and is no longer in concussion protocol, per the team’s senior director of communications Burt Lauten. There is still the matter of the NFL and the NFL Players Association’s review of the Steelers’ handling of his concussion check in the team’s Week 14 contest with the Patriots, but Watt’s removal from the protocol likely hints at no issue.

After Watt took a knee to the head from Elliott and returned after a brief check-in on the sideline, he reported concussion like-symptoms the next day. Obviously a potentially dangerous situation, the league decided it would investigate how the team handled Watt’s potential head injury. We’ve seen lots of seemingly concussed players come out of protocol within a week, so despite his clearance, Watt still may have suffered a concussion and returned to play. The league and the NFLPA has set out to determine whether or not that is the case.

DECEMBER 9: The Steelers’ depth on the edge could be tested next weekend. Following news that pass-rusher Alex Highsmith was placed in concussion protocol, the Steelers have announced that T.J. Watt has also been placed in protocol (via Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com).

The Highsmith news didn’t come as a huge surprise. The linebacker exited Thursday’s loss to the Patriots with a neck injury and didn’t end up returning to the game.

The Watt development is a bit more unexpected. The star defender briefly exited Thursday’s game after taking a knee to the face from Ezekiel Elliott on the first play from scrimmage. Florio writes that Watt was briefly checked for a concussion before being cleared to return on the same drive. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo notes that the medical staff also took an extended look at Watt’s jaw/mouth, and Florio says Watt was spotted wearing a tinted visor at one point.

Mark Kaboly of The Athletic passes along that Watt arrived at the team facility yesterday with symptoms, necessitating his placement into concussion protocol. Both Watt and Highsmith will now need to be cleared by an independent neurologist before returning to practice.

Fortunately, the Steelers have time on their side. Kaboly notes that the Steelers are off the next three days. They’ll resume practices on Tuesday in preparation for their Week 15 game against the Colts next Saturday night.

Steelers Extend OLB Alex Highsmith

July 19th, 2023 at 10:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Steelers are authorizing another big-ticket extension on their defense. Alex Highsmith is no longer going into a contract year, with NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reporting he and the Steelers have agreed on a four-year extension (Twitter link). The Steelers are working fast here, having announced the contract.

Long rumored to be an extension candidate in Pittsburgh, the young edge rusher agreed to terms on a four-year deal worth $68MM. This will lock down the T.J. Watt sidekick through the 2027 season. Highsmith, who is coming off a career-best season, will collect $27.7MM guaranteed and earn $38MM over the deal’s first two seasons, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Highsmith will turn 26 next month.

Both team and player had conveyed optimism about this deal being done for months. Back in December of last year, an extension for the former third-round pick became a likelihood. The Steelers prefer to hammer out deals with their extension candidates the summer before their contract years, which always made this the likeliest window for the Highsmith accord to transpire.

“I know I am a Pittsburgh Steeler through and through, and just to be a part of this amazing organization for four more years means the world to me, to my wife, to my whole family,” Highsmith said, via Teresa Varley of Steelers.com. “This is where I want to be. This is where I want to play ball.”

Pittsburgh came into the week with Watt’s $28MM-per-year deal topping the edge defender market and Minkah Fitzpatrick tied to the No. 2 safety contract. With Cameron Heyward still on a lucrative extension, the Steelers continue to make major investments in their defense. No longer carrying a franchise-QB contract, the Steelers are taking advantage of Kenny Pickett‘s slot deal. They have agreed to extensions with Highsmith, Fitzpatrick and Diontae Johnson over the past year.

The Steelers franchise-tagged Bud Dupree in 2020, keeping him for a sixth season, but began to develop his successor by using a Day 2 pick on Highsmith that year. Highsmith began his career behind the 2015 first-rounder but replaced him alongside Watt after a November ACL tear. Dupree left for the Titans in 2021, and Highsmith began a steady ascent. That climb crested last year, when the Charlotte alum produced a 14.5-sack season that included an NFL-leading five forced fumbles. Highsmith has 22.5 career sacks.

This agreement marks a bit of a throwback move for the Steelers, who are now one of just two teams carrying two top-10 edge rusher contracts (along with the Chargers). Pittsburgh had followed the traditional setup of rostering one highly paid edge in recent years, but the organization does have experience in this territory. Pittsburgh had both James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley on veteran extensions in the early 2010s, with Harrison signing his first extension in 2009 and Woodley joining him in 2011. This arrangement lasted three seasons (2011-13) before the team parted ways with both players (Harrison later returned to the team, while Woodley did not).

Eleven of Highsmith’s 14.5 sacks last season came when Watt was active; the younger pass rusher was slightly less effective during the All-Pro’s time rehabbing a partial pectoral tear. But the Steelers have come to view Highsmith as a core player as well. Watt has also avoided notable injuries aside from his September 2022 setback. This contract, which matches Shaquil Barrett and Chandler Jones for the 10th-most lucrative (AAV-wise) pact among outside rushers, confirms that commitment and could represent value for the team.

Barrett and Jones signed those deals in 2021. Highsmith could have taken his chances with a strong contract year that moved him past the $20MM-AAV barrier as a 2024 free agent. But the Steelers would have had the franchise tag at their disposal as well. With Highsmith committing to the team long term, the Steelers have two prime-years edge rushers locked in for many seasons.

Steelers OLB Alex Highsmith Addresses Extension Talks

June 18th, 2023 at 2:09pm CST by Adam La Rose

One of the top remaining offseason priorities for the Steelers is finalizing an extension with pass rusher Alex Highsmith, something which will no doubt require a lucrative long-term commitment. Efforts on that front are already underway, and his latest remarks on the subject are optimistic in nature.

“That would be awesome,” Highsmith said, via Joe Rutter of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, when asked about the possibility of having a deal in place by training camp. “We’ll see what happens. I’m confident with the way things are going… Right now, I just want to focus on ball.”

Contract negotiations have been taking place since May, a logical step from the Steelers’ perspective considering Highsmith’s value to the team’s pass rush. The 25-year-old has taken a signficant step forward in sack production during each of his three years in the league, and he registered 14.5 in 2022. That further proved his effectiveness as a compliment to All-Pro T.J. Watt, but a downturn in effectiveness during the latter’s missed time could cloud his value in the team’s eyes.

Highsmith should be in line for a signficant raise as early as this summer, as general manager Omar Khan acknowledged last month. Should talks stall over the effect Watt has on the former third-rounder’s production (not to mention the team’s substantial investment in Watt), though, Highsmith’s performance in 2023 would increasingly be worth watching. Requiring Pittsburgh to use the franchise tag or risk him hitting the open market would mark a troubling and unexpected turn of events in his case.

If each party gets their way, however, a multi-year extension may very well be in place by the time training camp opens next month. A long-term Watt-Highsmith combination would be costly for the Steelers, of course, but keeping the tandem in place would allow the team to remain elite in the pass-rush department for years to come. Working out the details of a second contract for the latter figures to be high on the agenda for Pittsburgh in the coming weeks.

Steelers, OLB Alex Highsmith Begin Extension Talks

May 25th, 2023 at 10:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although the Steelers have the NFL’s highest-paid edge rusher on their cap sheet, signs continue to point to the team strongly considering making room for an Alex Highsmith extension as well. The T.J. Watt sidekick is going into a contract year, and the team has begun talks on a new deal.

Highsmith confirmed (via ESPN.com’s Brooke Pryor) his agent has started extension talks with the Steelers. The fourth-year pass rusher expressed optimism a deal will be completed, and given the dialogue over the past several months — including a strong endorsement on this front from GM Omar Khan — optimism makes sense.

With Watt out for a chunk of last season due to a pectoral injury, Highsmith stepped forward as Pittsburgh’s stop pass rusher. The former third-round pick tallied 14.5 sacks, the most by a non-Watt Steeler since James Harrison‘s 2008 Defensive Player of the Year season. That number tied for the fifth-most in Steelers history, and Highsmith’s 17.5 sacks over his past 20 games rank second in the NFL. This stands to put the franchise to a decision. It appears the Steelers are angling to keep Highsmith as a long-term Watt complementary presence.

Early optimism notwithstanding, these could be tricky negotiations. Highsmith, 25, zoomed onto the radar for a big payday last season, a showing that also included an NFL-leading five forced fumbles. Highsmith could bet on himself and aim for a big contract year, putting the Steelers to a choice of franchise-tagging him or reaching a deal to prevent a free agency departure. But just three of Highsmith’s 2022 sacks came during the seven games Watt missed. Watt naturally creates favorable matchups for the Steelers’ other pass rushers, but the team viewing Highsmith as a clear No. 2 edge could lead to negotiations beginning at a lower rate.

The Chargers are the NFL’s only team with two edge rushers (Joey Bosa, Khalil Mack) earning more than $20MM on average. The Giants now have two interior D-linemen (Leonard Williams, Dexter Lawrence) signed to deals in that neighborhood, but Williams is in a contract year. Pittsburgh will be expecting Watt to play at this level for several more years, and a Highsmith re-up would need to accompany his $28MM-per-year salary.

The Steelers have some flexibility here, with Kenny Pickett on a rookie contract and only one offensive player (Diontae Johnson) tied to an eight-figure-per-year deal. But Highsmith could certainly push for an extension north of $15MM per year. The Steelers will likely attempt to keep the price south of $20MM per annum, but while the franchise did not extend Bud Dupree after franchise-tagging him in 2020, it has a history of using this blueprint. Harrison and LaMarr Woodley teamed up on veteran extensions in the early 2010s, with Harrison signing his first extension in 2009 and Woodley joining him in 2011. Woodley stayed in Pittsburgh through the ’13 season. Highsmith’s resume is not quite where Woodley’s was prior to his extension, so it will be interesting to see what numbers emerge here during these talks.

Highsmith checked in as Dupree’s eventual replacement, coming from a mid-major program (Charlotte). Khan extended both Johnson and Minkah Fitzpatrick last summer. With the Steelers preferring to hammer out extensions before the candidate’s walk year, a resolution here should be expected in the coming weeks.

Latest On Steelers LB Alex Highsmith

May 20th, 2023 at 10:41am CST by Ben Levine

The Steelers still intend to make Alex Highsmith a foundational part of their defense. While we haven’t heard many updates on the edge rusher’s extension talks, general manager Omar Khan made it clear this week that he intends to sign the player to a long-term pact.

“We don’t like to talk specifically about an individual contract, but I’ll say this, he’s a Steeler,” Khan said during an appearance on 93.7 The Fan (via Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com). “Since the day he got here, he’s been awesome. He gets better and better every year, and I really hope Alex is here for a long time.”

Back in December, Mark Kaboly of The Athletic suggested that a Highsmith extension was inevitable and “a done deal.” The writer still believes that’s the case, and while the Steelers would traditionally hand out these types of extensions in August or September, Kaboly believes “Khan would probably like to get it done before the start of camp” in July.

After starting all 16 of his appearances in 2021, Highsmith had a breakout season in 2022. The former third-round pick finished the campaign with 14.5 sacks and a league-leading five forced fumbles, leading to him ranking 28th among 119 qualifying edge players on Pro Football Focus’ positional rankings.

As Kaboly notes, there could be a few complications during negotiations. For starters, the Steelers already gave edge rusher T.J. Watt a four-year, $112MM extension that featured $80MM in guaranteed money. While most teams aren’t investing big contracts in two edge rushers, the Steelers’ rookie-contract offensive players could allow them to extend on the defensive side of the ball.

As of right now, Highsmith is set to earn $2.74MM in the final year of his rookie contract. As Kaboly notes, the Steelers currently don’t have the cap space to give the 25-year-old a lucrative extension, but they could easily carve out that space by restructuring the contracts of high-priced players like Watt, Diontae Johnson, and/or James Daniels.

Steelers Expected To Extend OLB Alex Highsmith

December 18th, 2022 at 10:09am CST by Rory Parks

The Steelers are expected to extend linebacker Alex Highsmith this offseason, according to Mark Kaboly of The Athletic (subscription required). In Kaboly’s estimation, a new contract for the Charlotte product is “a done deal.”

A 2020 third-rounder, Highsmith will be extension-eligible for the first time at season’s end, and he has certainly earned a hefty raise on his rookie salary. Through 13 games this season, he has compiled a career-best 10 sacks, and that statistic in and of itself would make him a hot commodity if he were on the open market. His pass rush work is supported by a strong Pro Football Focus grade against the run (70.5) and a stellar mark in coverage (88.4).

So, despite Kaboly’s acknowledgement that Highsmith has been inconsistent at times, it is clear — as head coach Mike Tomlin has stated — that he is an ascending player who has yet to reach his ceiling. Pittsburgh has been ranked in or near the bottom-10 in terms of total defense over the last two seasons, but in T.J. Watt and Highsmith, the club boasts one of the best OLB tandems in the league.

Watt, who has played in only six games thus far in 2022 due to a pectoral injury and knee surgery, signed a record-setting four-year, $112MM contract last September, which features $80MM in guaranteed money. While Highsmith’s next contract will certainly not be in that stratosphere, a ~$17MM/year deal akin to those signed by players like Harold Landry and Shaquil Barrett would seem to be a fair ask. Plus, as long as the Steelers’ presumptive starting quarterback (Kenny Pickett) is playing on a rookie contract, the team can afford to splurge on other areas of the roster, especially at premium positions.

In related news, Steelers defensive lineman Chris Wormley has suffered a torn ACL, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Wormley was placed on IR earlier this week, thereby bringing an end to a disappointing platform year. Acquired via an intra-divisonal trade with the Ravens in 2020, Wormley did enough that year to earn a two-year, $4.5MM deal with the Steelers the following offseason.

Wormley, 29, more than lived up to that contract in 2021, starting 14 games, logging a 71% snap share, and posting seven sacks. This year, he was relegated to more of a rotational role and will now enter free agency in the midst of recovery from ACL surgery.

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