ClutchPoints
Just as the Pittsburgh Steelers resolved their T.J. Watt issue, they could be without Alex Highsmith for a little while. The star linebacker suffered a minor injury scare on Sunday’s training camp practice session, leaving the Steelers’ defense with a slight issue to monitor.
Highsmith said he felt a “minor groin tweak” during one-on-one pass-rushing drills on Sunday, Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. The report came from head coach Mike Tomlin, who did not appear to be overly concerned about the injury.
Highsmith missed three games in 2024 with a groin injury, making the tweak somewhat of an elevated concern. However, the injury occurred in Week 3, and Highsmith suffered no further setbacks for the rest of the year. He would later land back on the injury report with an ankle injury, but did not appear to be limited with his groin at any point near the end of the year.
The combination of injuries led to just 11 games for Highsmith in 2024. As a result, he recorded a career-low 45 tackles on the year with just six sacks.
Pittsburgh does not appear to expect Highsmith’s injury to still be an issue by Week 1. Yet, if it is still a concern, the Steelers will not hesitate to throw Nick Herbig, who broke out with 5.5 sacks in 2024, into the starting lineup. The team also added former Ohio State star Jack Sawyer to the group in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Assuming Alex Highsmith’s injury is not a significant concern, the Steelers are on track to be one of the best defenses in the league. Pittsburgh was already an elite unit in 2024 and enters the new year with Jalen Ramsey, Derrick Harmon and Darius Slay now on its roster.
As star-studded as their defense is, the Steelers will heavily lean on their depth in 2025. Pittsburgh is loaded with talent at all positions, with players like Herbig, Sawyer, Beanie Bishop, Isaiahh Loudermilk, Chuck Clark, Cole Holcomb and Yahya Black coming off the bench despite possessing starter-level talent.
The Steelers allowed just 20.8 points per game in 2024, the seventh-fewest in the league. By returning all their key players and adding several more elite defenders, they are on the shortlist of teams viewed as having the potential for the best preseason defense in the league.
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