Steelers Now
Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker Alex Highsmith opened up on his toughest matchups in his career during a recent appearance on the Highway 49 podcast.
“Dion’s [Dawkins] definitely one of those guys. He’s been in [the] league for a while. He’s doing it at a high level, got a lot of respect for many left tackles, that’s who I play against,” Highsmith said on his toughest career battles against left tackles. “Garrett Bolles, had some good matchups against him. Jordan Mailata from the Eagles, and then Trent Williams, played him when he was with the Niners in 2023, our opening game.
“So I’d say probably those two few guys right there are probably guys who I’ve gone against that I think are some of the more tougher ones.”
Highsmith will only see one of left tackles he mentioned in 2026, as he has a Week 11 meeting against Jordan Mailata in Philadelphia.
Highsmith is entering his seventh season with the Steelers. He’s racked up 45 sacks and forced 10 fumbles since being drafted in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
With Steelers outside linebacker Nick Herbig receiving a massive new deal in June, speculation has emerged that Highsmith could be traded.
NFL insider Jason La Canfora reported in June that the Washington Commanders, Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills, and San Francisco 49ers could be landing spots for Highsmith in a trade.
The Carolina Panthers have also emerged as a possible landing spot.
49ers insider Grant Cohn revealed what kind of trade compensation the Steelers are looking for.
“From what I’m hearing, they want a second-rounder for him,” Cohn said.
The Steelers have a desirable problem. After paying Herbig to stay around for seasons to come, Mike McCarthy’s team has a deep, but expensive group of outside linebackers.
Herbig slides in behind Steelers all-time leading sack-getter T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, who has 45 for his career himself. Jack Sawyer also had an impressive rookie season.
Herbig, who’s entering his fourth professional campaign, has racked up 16 career sacks, including a personal-best 7.5 last season. He was tagged with an 86.7 overall grade by Pro Football Focus, which ranked seventh out of 115 edge rushers.
Highsmith wasn’t rated far behind, as his 82.9 overall grade slotted him 13th in that same group. His 9.5 sacks were the second-most in any of his six seasons in black and gold.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Alex Highsmith Reveals His Toughest Career Battles
