Film Room: Steelers Need Alex Highsmith's Emergence Now More Than Ever
From an on-field perspective, the Pittsburgh Steelers' day couldn't have gone much better in Week 1, as they forced five turnovers in a win against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The only real blemish came via the injury report as T.J. Watt suffered a pec injury that is likely to keep him out until around the Bye Week in October. Watt's dominance is irreplaceable as there are few players in the league who can dominate the way that he does on a weekly basis. But the Steelers obviously have a very talented defense, and his running mate, Alex Highsmith, just might be leveling up again in year three.
Highsmith started the season off with a bang. The former third-round pick notched his first career three-sack game, one of which was a strip sack that gave the Pittsburgh defense another takeaway.
This was against a very quality starting left tackle in Cincinnati's Jonah Williams, a former first-round selection who was coming off the best season of his career in 2021.
Highsmith got off to a blazing hot start against Williams. On the Bengals' second drive of the game, he beat Williams with an inside spin move before proceeding to take down Joe Burrow for a loss of seven yards. Highsmith relished the opportunity to rush the passer on third and long and lined up in a wide nine technique which gave him plenty of space to operate within. The sack got the Steelers off the field by forcing a punt.
On the very next Bengals offensive possession, Highsmith struck gold again by beating Williams off the edge. Using one of his go-to moves, the cross-chop, he was able to win the corner before laying a booming hit on Burrow to force a fumble.
Highsmith's explosive get-off and ability to utilize his inside counters, makes his speed rushes even more dangerous to contend with. He played a big part in giving Burrow some happy feet in the pocket as the game wore on, which led to more mistakes and missing some open receivers down the field.
His third sack of the day came as the fourth quarter opened. While this rep was more about him being in the right place at the right time, it still looks really nice on the stat sheet.
Highsmith again works that inside spin move but Williams is much more balanced and ready for it on this rep. A beautiful stunt up the middle with Cam Heyward looping around Myles Jack creates a free rushing late to the backfield. Heyward's going to be kicking himself as he missed a great opportunity for an easy sack by missing the tackle, as he instead gets an assist on the play.
Arguably the most impressive number that Highsmith produced wasn't the career high in sacks but the 83 snaps on defense that he logged. Due to the Steelers' anemic offense and inability to move the chains in order to stay on the field, they left the defense vulnerable and stressed with a high number of snaps.
The fact that Highsmith was still this active late in the game shows a high level of conditioning and pure grit to grind this one out without the typical necessary edge rusher depth.
His next challenge this weekend will come against New England Patriots left tackle Trent Brown.
Brown's back in New England for another spin and has had trouble staying healthy over the years but is a quality starter nonetheless. His build is massive, standing 6-8 while weighing in at 370 pounds. Brown didn't quite have the season opener that he was likely envisioning as he allowed two sacks while also being called for holding against the Miami Dolphins.
The Steelers don't need Alex Highsmith to be T.J. Watt. After all, there's only one of those copies available on the planet and he's currently injured. They just need him to continue on his upward trajectory and provide splash in his absence.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin often references the jump that players need to make between year two and year three and in order for the Pittsburgh defense to get back to hold steady, they'll need a noticeable jump from Highsmith.
The Steelers did recently acquire Malik Reed from Denver who will be inserted in the starting lineup immediately. However, it's likely that with Watt sidelined, Highsmith will see more attention via chips or doubles moving forward as teams no longer have to gameplan around the 2021 Defensive Player of the Year.
It certainly helps that Reed is not just some scrub but a capable depth piece.
Highsmith does also have the benefit of aligning next to Heyward, who looked dominant as ever in Week 1, as he terrorized the Bengals interior offensive line with his powerful bull rush all afternoon.
The Steelers will certainly need more from their ascending edge rusher but Highsmith's more than capable of rising to the occasion.
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