Steelers' Alex Highsmith Receives Surprising Trade Prediction

The Pittsburgh Steelers have one of the deepest edge rusher rooms in the NFL, which naturally creates speculation about whether Alex Highsmith could become a trade piece at some point. Pittsburgh has TJ Watt, Highsmith, and Nick Herbig all capable of playing meaningful snaps, but that does not mean the Steelers are eager to break up the group.

Highsmith is the name that tends to come up because he is valuable, established, and still young enough to interest teams searching for pass-rush help. He also plays a premium position, which means any trade conversation would likely start with a real return. Still, the Steelers’ current roster direction makes the idea more complicated than simply saying they have enough depth to move one of their top outside linebackers.

Jenna Harner discussed that possibility with Mike DeFabo on The Yinziders, and she did not completely dismiss the idea of a Highsmith trade. She also made it clear that it would be difficult to see based on Pittsburgh’s current plan.

“I think probably truthfully, I’d say a five,” Harner said when asked to rate the chances of a Highsmith trade.

That number is interesting because it is not zero. Harner did not say the idea is impossible. She viewed it as something that could exist in the middle, likely depending on what another team is willing to offer and how Pittsburgh feels about the direction of its defense.

Her larger point, however, leaned toward the Steelers keeping Highsmith.

“I don’t again think it would be very, very, very price dependent,” Harner said. “But I just don’t see it happening because we’ve heard so much about what the Steelers want to do with all three of their edge rushers, with TJ Watt, with Alex Highsmith, and with Nick Herbig.”

That is the heart of the issue. The Steelers did not build this edge rusher room by accident. Watt remains the centerpiece, Highsmith is a proven starter, and Herbig has become too productive to ignore. Trading Highsmith would give Pittsburgh assets, but it would also take away from one of the clearest strengths on the roster.

The Steelers have already dealt with enough injuries at the position to understand the value of depth. Edge rusher is not a spot where teams want to feel thin. If one player goes down, the entire pass rush can change. If two players are unavailable, the defense can lose its identity quickly. Pittsburgh has lived through those stretches before, which makes having three legitimate options feel more like protection than excess.

DeFabo pushed back on the idea that a surplus automatically means someone has to go.

“Everything my sense all along has been that the Steelers want to keep all three of them for the time being, at least for this year,” DeFabo said.

That lines up with what Pittsburgh is trying to do. The Steelers are not acting like a team tearing down its roster. They brought back veteran pieces, added major names, and are trying to compete immediately under Mike McCarthy. Trading Highsmith before the season would only make sense if the return was strong enough to change the big-picture outlook.

The Steelers’ defense also needs pressure to make everything else work. A strong pass rush helps the secondary, hides coverage issues, and gives the offense more short fields. Pittsburgh has already shown interest in building around defensive depth, and the team’s young talent has created an interesting dilemma along the defensive front. Highsmith remains a major part of that equation.

Harner also mentioned how the three-player rotation could help keep the group fresher than it has been in past years.

“There’s having these three guys be rotational pieces is going to keep them fresh a little bit more than we’ve seen in years past,” Harner said.

That may be the strongest argument against a trade. The Steelers do not need to view Watt, Highsmith, and Herbig as three players competing for two jobs. They can view them as a way to keep pressure constant while reducing wear on everyone. That becomes especially important over a long season.

Highsmith’s durability has also been part of the conversation, but that cuts both ways. He has missed time, which might make some wonder if Pittsburgh should consider moving him while he still has value. It also reminds the Steelers why they need multiple starting-caliber edge rushers. Herbig has dealt with injuries too, and Watt has had his own physical setbacks over the years.

DeFabo summed up that concern well.

“You can go from feeling like you have a surplus at that position to feeling like you have a need very quickly,” DeFabo said.

Steelers Should Be Careful With Highsmith Trade Talk

A Highsmith trade would be fascinating, but it does not feel like the move Pittsburgh wants to make right now. The Steelers have a clear defensive strength, and subtracting from it would be risky unless another team makes an offer too good to ignore.

Harner’s five-out-of-10 answer leaves the door cracked open, but her explanation makes the situation clearer. Pittsburgh may listen if teams call. It may even have a price. Still, the current vision appears to be built around keeping Watt, Highsmith, and Herbig together.

For a defense that wants to win with pressure, that makes sense. Highsmith is not just a luxury. He is part of the reason the Steelers can feel confident about their edge group entering the season.

If the Steelers are serious about competing now, keeping all three pass rushers is probably the smarter play.

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