Steelers will finally have the defensive trio they have been dreaming of at their disposal against the Cleveland Browns
The Steelers’ pass rush just received a massive helping hand.
One area the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense excels at is its pass rush. They go four deep at the EDGE position, with Jack Sawyer already earning a sack in his limited playing time. But it’s all about the big three: T.J. Watt, Nick Herbig, and Alex Highsmith.
A 1-2-3 punch that the Steelers have rarely been able to use over the years. Whether it’s due to Herbig, Highsmith, or Watt being injured, the time on task simply hasn’t been there.
That is evidenced by the amount of time they spend on the field together. Sure, the Steelers aren’t going to deploy all three of them on the field as a base defense, but the trio has been on the field just two snaps in 2025.
That’s about to change.
Alex Highsmith set to return from injury vs. Browns
“From a health standpoint, feel really encouraged about the return of some people who’ve been out,” said head coach Mike Tomlin on Tuesday. “Guys like Alex Highsmith and Joey Porter Jr, for example, worked yesterday on our bonus day, and the arrows pointed up on their participation, but we’ll follow them throughout the week to make sure it continues to move in the appropriate direction.”
The core of the Steelers fanbase, and those who study the league in depth, know Highsmith’s immense value to the Steelers’ defense. He is a more complete player against the run than Herbig, and has a 26.9 percent pressure rate, meaning he’s pressuring the QB on over a quarter of his pass rush reps.
Plainly, he’s efficient and disruptive.
The Browns will be starting a rookie QB, Dillon Gabriel, and there will be no Joe Flacco to fall back on. That being said, Gabriel looked solid in his first-ever start against the Minnesota Vikings last week, and he is highly regarded within the Browns organization.
But Gabriel has never played a pass rush like Pittsburgh’s. A smaller quarterback who isn’t exactly a Kyler Murray-level athlete, if the Steelers can speed up the rookie’s process, he might be in for a long afternoon in Pittsburgh.
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