Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan has had a busy offseason. For the first time essentially in franchise history, he had the team active early and often in free agency, filling some of the holes on the roster.
He aggressively attacked the secondary, signing Patrick Peterson and Chandon Sullivan before using the No. 32 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft on Penn State cornerback, Joey Porter Jr. Linebackers Cole Holcomb and Elandon Roberts were also signed as Khan revamped the second level of the team’s defense.
Gone are Ryan Spillane, Myles Jack and Devin Bush as Pittsburgh attempts to shake things up. Linebacker, specifically in the middle, is the shakiest unit on their defense. But, at outside linebacker in the pass-rushing spots, the Steelers are set.
Pittsburgh has a star in T.J. Watt occupying one side and on the other is emerging star Alex Highsmith. Watt missed a significant amount of time during the 2022 season with an injury, but Highsmith was there to pick up the slack.
He registered a career-high 14.5 sacks, nearly doubling what he was able to produce in his first two seasons in the NFL. Now heading into the final year of his rookie contract, ESPN’s NFL insider Field Yates believes working out an extension with the Charlotte product is the one move the Steelers have left to make this offseason.
“T.J. Watt has established himself as one of the best players in the league, but let’s not overlook Highsmith’s impact in that linebacker room, too. He wreaks havoc opposite Watt. A career year in 2022 (14.5 sacks) for Highsmith was a great way to lead into his first extension-eligible offseason, and Pittsburgh has a lengthy track record of drafting, developing and extending its own. Pegging the price for Highsmith is a little tricky — this offseason has been dominated by defensive tackle extensions, not edge rusher extensions — but I would think something in the $15-16 million per year range is a reasonable target.”
It is hard to argue against what Yates said. Pass rushers are always at a premium in the NFL and if you are able to draft and develop one as the Steelers have with Highsmith, you will do whatever it takes to keep him in town.
He has seen his role on the Steelers’ defense increase each season, as he played 88 percent of the defensive snaps in 2022. It would be smart for Khan and ownership to hammer out a deal now because another 14.5-sack season would send Highsmith’s price skyrocketing.
Highsmith is a prime example of the work that this franchise does with pass rushers, as mentioned by Yates, and it is time to reward him with a new contract. Turning only 26 in August, he isn’t even close to his prime yet and worth locking in now.
