Football
Thanks to T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Nick Herbig, the Pittsburgh Steelers have arguably the best pass-rush group in football, at least when it comes to EDGE defenders.
Those three terrorize opposing offenses and strike fear in quarterbacks and offensive coordinators weekly.
Individually though, the three players appear to be in different parts of their careers. Watt, who was once arguably the best pass rusher in football, has declined and is coming off a rough 2025 season. Highsmith has struggled to stay healthy in recent years, but when he’s on the field he’s an outstanding player.
Herbig, meanwhile, is an ascending player who very clearly deserves more playing time and is in line for a huge extension this summer.
For NFL Daily’s Gregg Rosenthal and analyst Ollie Connolly, there’s a clear pecking order for the Steelers’ OLBs at the moment. In their best EDGE defenders draft for NFL Daily Friday afternoon, Watt landed at No. 11 overall, while Herbig went No. 14 and Highsmith went No. 20.
With Watt, Connolly sees a player on the wrong side of things in his career.
“I think the decline is really real. He’s such a high-profile player and the big plays are so impactful, but he’s just become such a boom or bust player relying on one thing from one alignment and he still creates havoc and he can still create chaos,” Connolly said of Watt. “But when you start to see a player like that decline, I do get worried that the impact just gets deadened and deadened.”
In the EDGE draft, Watt went after names like Jacksonville’s Josh Hines-Allen and even the New York Giants’ Abdul Carter.
Last season was rough for Watt. He had that scary lung injury that caused him to miss time late in the season, but when he was on the field Watt wasn’t all that impactful getting after the passer. He had just 7.0 sacks and 43 pressures, showing a major decline in his numbers.
Some of that can be attributed to the lack of creativity from the Steelers’ coaching staff to move him around and get him away from the chips and double-teams. But Watt also slowed down a bit and wasn’t his usual dominant self. That has raised serious questions about his future at 32 years old.
Patrick Graham’s hiring as defensive coordinator could change things. Graham brings a fresh approach and could get Watt to move around a bit, all while scheming up ways to get him 1-on-1 matchups.
Steelers.com’s Bob Labriola believes Watt will bounce back in 2026 and return to that A-level player. The Steelers will need that.
But they do have some good depth and talent behind Watt.
Herbig is the ascending star, and Connolly spoke glowingly of him.
“He is a sensational 1-on-1 pass rusher. His get-off is as good as anyone in the league, bend as good as anyone in the league, spin move as good as anyone in the league,” Connolly said. “If he played for any other franchise he’d be a walking 1-on-1 killer that would be a household name of reverence. But he’s not because he plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers.”
There’s no denying Herbig is a great player. He needs to be on the field more, and hopefully Graham can figure out a way to do that, pairing Herbig with Watt and Highsmith to give offenses major headaches.
Injuries could play a part, too, much like last season. With Watt and Highsmith banged up throughout last season, Herbig played a career-high in snaps and had 7.5 sacks and 48 pressures. He was as disruptive as they come off the edge, and continued to show he’s ascending to another level as a pass rusher.
For now though, he’s behind Watt and Highsmith. That might change at some point this season if Watt continues to struggle. But it’s a good situation to be in the for the Steelers, even if there is concern about the future Hall of Famer wearing No. 90.
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