The Pittsburgh Steelers have an aging roster, but there is a good amount of young talent throughout the depth chart as well. Pittsburgh has begun to extend some younger players, which is a good sign that the organization has been drafting well. One of the positions that exemplifies this is outside linebacker. Nick Herbig just signed a four-year extension while Alex Highsmith and TJ Watt are both already under lucrative deals. Jack Sawyer is another player at the position that has performed well. He made several splash plays during his rookie season while seeing limited opportunities due to the talent at the position.
Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers linebackers TJ Watt (90), Alex Highsmith (56) and Nick Herbig (51) celebrate a big play in regular season game against the Ravens in 2025 season.
The outside linebacker group has been the pride and joy of the Steelers for a long time now. It goes back to James Harrison wearing the black and gold, and then Watt getting drafted in the first round back in 2017. The organization has done a great job of finding other players as well through the draft, such as Highsmith and Herbig. Those three are all well-established in the NFL and have been known to wreck games when they are on the field.
Pro Bowl left tackle Dion Dawkins recently went on the St. Brown Podcast, and he spoke about the edge rusher position with wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown.
"That's the easiest position in football," Dawkins said. "And people don't realize this, they watch the whole game, they're like first quarter, second quarter, third quarter, fourth quarter, throughout the game bro, we realistically have 67 plays, 65, maybe 70 plays a game. You're talking about we lock this guy up 70 plays and we lost one and now we had a bad game? That's crazy! That's crazy. He could get locked up, slammed on the floor, body slammed, double teamed, dumped, rolled over. Dude gets one sack, 'Oh my god, he's that guy, look at him!' It sucks bro."
Dawkins has been one of the best left tackles in the game, and his job is not easy as he protects Josh Allen. He is right that edge rushers typically get locked up for the majority of games, but one big play from them can completely shift the momentum of a contest and can be the turning point in a game. That is why offensive line play is constantly under a microscope.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' TJ Watt runs with the football during offseason activities in Pittsburgh in 2026.
This comment was thrown out there at edge rushers all over the league, and some of those players only take advantage of certain opportunities to get sacks and don't make much of an impact otherwise. However, that is not the case for the guys in Pittsburgh. Watt, Highsmith, and Herbig all excel at taking the ball away from the opposing offense.
Steelers' Edge Rushers Are Different From The Rest Of The NFL
Watt picked off two passes and forced three fumbles in 2025, and he forced six fumbles the year before that. In 2023, he picked off a pass and forced four fumbles. That is a special player, not someone who gets locked up all game and is opportunistic. Herbig has forced seven fumbles over the last two seasons and he also recorded an interception in 2025. Highsmith has 10 forced fumbles and three interceptions in his career, and he is elite when it comes to stopping the run. Even Sawyer had multiple interceptions in his rookie season.
Edge rushers may have it easy in the league when compared to offensive linemen, but there are a few that go above and beyond. That is what the guys playing the position for the Steelers have always done. It is not just about getting to the quarterback, it is about getting to the football. So, when a player like Dawkins messes up once a game, there's a good chance that the ball will belong to the Black and Gold after the play is finished.
What do you think about this thought from Dawkins? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!
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