The Pittsburgh Steelers have a lot of moving parts on defense for the 2025 NFL season. Jalen Ramsey may have been named the top cornerback on the team, but he is still expected to have plenty of positional flexibility in Pittsburgh, which he has not had much of in his NFL career. The team also had DeMarvin Leal moving between interior defensive line and edge rusher in an attempt to keep him on the roster, but so far, it has not worked out as either side had hoped, especially with another player making a somewhat similar change.
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Steelers outside linebacker Jack Sawyer (33) during 2025 training camp in Latrobe, PA.
During a recent press conference, Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin spoke about how rookie outside linebacker Jack Sawyer has adapted to becoming an 3-4 edge rusher so far.
Steelers DC Teryl Austin on rookie edge Jack Sawyer: “He’s still developing. He was a college defensive end … so there’s a lot of room for him to grow. And he’s getting it right now.” Austin adds that his role as an outside linebacker will be more defined in the regular season. pic.twitter.com/ZqaksMHZhm
— Brian Batko (@BrianBatko) August 18, 2025
In college, Sawyer was seen as a defensive end in a 4-3 base defense. Even though that does not fit what Pittsburgh does, Sawyer fell hard enough in the draft for the team to take a flyer on him and see if he can adapt to the Steel City way of running a defense. If it works, then the Steelers have yet another elite edge rusher to make their defense even more scary. If not, then it's likely no big deal; a team that runs a 4-3 base defense could pick him up. Whiffing on a fourth-rounder with high upside is not the biggest problem to have.
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Steelers outside linebacker Jack Sawyer (33) with Nick Herbig (51) right behind him during a Friday Night Lights practice in Latrobe, PA.
The good news for Sawyer is that he does not have to be a major contributor immediately. He will almost certainly be the last edge rusher on the 53-man roster, with Nick Herbig being the primary backup on both sides of the defense. The rookie will still get some reps every now and then to help keep both starters fresh and ready to go. He just won't get an increased workload until someone either gets injured, or gets possibly traded away.
Steelers Could Make A Big Trade If Sawyer Does Well In New Position
If Sawyer and Herbig both continue to develop like Austin says they are, maybe Alex Highsmith could become more expendable. The Steelers recently announced that they were in the pick business, so they could ship him off for a Day 2 pick after 2025 concludes, let Herbig become a full-time starter, and have Sawyer take the primary backup role. If any team can afford to let an edge rusher go, it's Pittsburgh easily.
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Steelers' Nick Herbig (left) and Alex Highsmith (right) stand on the sideline during the national anthem.
Based on what Austin said about him "getting it," it sounds like the transition for Sawyer has gone as smooth as it possibly could. A 4-3 defensive end and a 3-4 outside linebacker / edge rusher are similar, but the latter usually requires more athleticism and occasionally calls for the player to drop back into zone coverage -- which the Steelers' starters have historically done well in in recent years.
Either way, Sawyer is still young, and he has time to fully master the 3-4 edge rusher position. His rookie year will be primarily spent as a special teamer, and his production there could impact his snap count on defense one way or the other. He will get plenty of chances to prove that he can excel playing directly outside the opposing offensive tackle. He already had a pair of starts in his first preseason. Hopefully, he can build up from there.
What do you think about Austin's comments on Sawyer's progress with changing positions? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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