What Can The Steelers Expect From Tenacious Edge Rusher Alex Highsmith In His 4th Year?

Alex Highsmith had an amazing year for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022, as he had his breakout season and finished in the top five of multiple defensive categories, including sacks. He is currently looking to get a new contract, but will not hold out for his extension. With previous Steelers players getting quality extensions from Omar Khan in his first season as General Manager, Highsmith will be likely looking to get this deal done before training camp. However, with this extension, there will be plenty of expectations placed on Highsmith's shoulders, not just for 2023, but for the future. 

The fact that Highsmith and the Steelers are working out a contract extension as opposed to their last highly touted edge player means a lot. Bud Dupree had a career year in his fifth year, however, Highsmith had his career year in his third. Dupree was given the franchise tag after his breakout year, then walked in free agency a year later. Highsmith, being a third-round pick, doesn't get the fifth-year option, so Khan has about eight months to get a contract extension in for Highsmith before he might have to be placed on the tag in 2024. 

With the Steelers' 90-man roster filled up and free agency being almost completely dead at this point, Khan still has all the time in the world to negotiate with Highsmith and his agents to get the extension covered. The Steelers have about $15 million in cap space for 2023 and $19 million for 2024. A lot of that $15 mil will go to rookies that are still negotiating a contract, so it's unlikely that any extension money will be added to 2023's cap hit. 

What Do The Steelers Expect Out Of Highsmith?

The fact that the Steelers and Highsmith are already in the midst of contract negotiations proves that the Steelers have a lot of trust in his abilities to get to the quarterback and make timely plays. 

With TJ Watt still being the headliner and the face of the franchise, Highsmith won't need to be the best edge rusher, but he would still need to be able to take over and help carry the defense whenever Watt is out. Highsmith did a little bit of that in 2023, but the hope is that he can develop more and step up into that lead pass-rusher role when necessary.

Even when Watt is in the game, Highsmith will still need to build off of his breakout 2022 season and play at a high level. Dupree never got a big contract because he seemed to be more of a complementary player than a great player on his own, despite being very talented in his own rights. 

Dupree struggled to get traction with the Tennessee Titans due to injuries and the aforementioned "complement role." Tennessee paid him to be their top edge rusher, but when he was on the field, he struggled to get quality reps in without a high-end pass rusher to help. 

Highsmith had a little success when Watt was out, but not a whole lot. He mainly showed out against the Cleveland Browns when he racked 1.5 sacks in week three, then nearly doubled that total in their second meeting to end the year. 

He also had a forced fumble against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but the Steelers will likely expect a lot more out of him without Watt. He's had some flashes of great play when he's the main pass rusher, but he needs to turn those flashes into consistent play on his side of the ball, no matter who is opposite of him.

What do you think about Highsmith's potential contract situation, as well as what the Steelers would want out of him for the next handful of years? Let us know in the comments below.

#SteelerNation.