Why Former Steelers OL Ramon Foster Is The Most Excited To See Alex Highsmith Have A Colossal Year In 2023

Pittsburgh Steelers fans everywhere are looking for material to discuss since we have entered a kind of football purgatory on the calendar. These weeks before the start of training camp seem to last forever. And like a man dying of thirst in the desert, the few drops of OTA information that come out are not enough to slake that need. 

A favorite topic during this dry period is any variation of, "Who are you excited to see play/what are you looking forward to?" On a recent episode of his podcast, former Steelers offensive guard Ramon Foster didn't hesitate to say for him it is Alex Highsmith. Same, Ramon, same. 

Foster's podcast, The Ramon Foster Show, airs on DK Pittsburgh Sports and is co-hosted by Dejan Kovacevic. A viewer wrote in to ask the two, aside from Kenny Pickett who are they most excited to see in 2023? Both Foster and Kovacevic agreed that Pickett isn't necessarily the obvious first choice. 

Will Steelers' Alex Highsmith Continue On His Upward Trajectory In 2023?

Highsmith is entering the final year of his rookie contract and is actively seeking a contract extension. Despite that he is participating in OTAs with the team, giving the team all he has got in typical Highsmith fashion. He had the best season of his career in 2022, netting 14.5 sacks.  

It is no secret that Highsmith plays with a bit of a chip on his shoulder. He was not highly recruited coming out of high school and walked on to play at UNC-Charlotte. Highsmith has been playing with a kind of dedication and persistence that is rare even in the NFL. Each season he has been in the NFL he has more than doubled his sack count and is a constant disruptive force on the defense. 

Paired up across from T.J. Watt, the two are the stuff of nightmares for opposing offenses. Highsmith is not flashy or showy off the field, he isn't the type to be on social media making passive-aggressive comments or complaining on podcasts or in articles. In interviews, he comes across as a gentle giant. Yet on the field, he is a terror, in the best possible way. Highsmith lets his work ethic do the talking for him and focuses on the things he can control. 

That is one of the reasons he has become such a fan favorite and apparently Foster is one of those fans.

"I want to see what this year looks like for Alex Highsmith. I hadn't looked nowhere else other than the idea that there's a lot on him. I want to be able to see us bookend both sides of this defense. We have the ability to be able to have a monstrous bookend on defense."

Foster points out that many analysts have been busy worrying about what we seem to lack, rather than celebrating what we do have. We should be grateful to have such a strong duo at EDGE.

"As much as we've kind of worried about the middle linebacker, Elandon Roberts, I think this is his third stop as a pro. Trying to figure out what's what up the middle, those two dudes can funnel so much junk up the middle to Cam [Heyward] and Keeanu [Benton] and to [Larry] Ogunjobi. It can really solidify what you are as a defense."

The AFC North isn't the same one you remember. They are vastly improved and we are potentially facing three strong quarterbacks with the Baltimore Ravens and Lamar Jackson, the Cincinnati Bengals and Joe Burrow, and the Cleveland Browns and Deshaun Watson.

"The reason I need for Alex Highsmith to be the dude is we are in a pass-happy AFC North. Period," says Foster. "We gotta put those dudes on their backs." 

While the NFL is definitely shifting to more of an offense-based kind of play, you have to have a defense to be able to stop those offenses.  

"It's the water-leveling factor when the Steelers face one of those teams. This is what makes it all fair, this is what makes it all even - having TJ and Highsmith getting back there," agrees Kovacevic."       

Who is the player you are most excited to see in 2023? How do you think Highsmith will do this year? Click to comment below. 

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