Steelers Star TJ Watt Falls To #4 On Edge Rusher List; Alex Highsmith Doesn't Receive A Vote

With just a few weeks remaining until Pittsburgh Steelers training camp in Latrobe, lists and rankings continue to come out. While it's not official football yet, it'll have to do for now. TJ Watt heads into the 2023 season a bit under the radar after his injury-riddled 2022 season. The pectoral injury costed him to miss seven games, which severely hurt Pittsburgh's defense for the first two months of the season.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler compiled a list of the top edge rushers via executives, scouts, and coaches from around the league. On there, Watt was featured, and he slid down a few spots. The 2021 AP Defensive Player of the Year slotted in at No. 4, just behind Myles Garrett, Micah Parsons, and Nick Bosa. 

"Watt could occupy any of the top-four spots and most wouldn't complain. '[Ranking pass-rushers] is all preference, but when healthy, Watt is hands down the best in the game,' an NFL exec said. 'Watt is to edge rushers what [Aaron] Donald is to interior.' He excels in every area - he can deftly drop back into coverage or cause a fumble in the running game. 'You know he's going to be fueled by last year and come out with a monster performance [in 2023],' the exec said."

It's hard to argue on how to rank these top guys, especially amongst the edge rusher group. It truly is splitting hairs, and Watt simply wasn't available for seven contests in 2022. When ranking this elite group, that is sometimes the difference. Even when he was on the field, it was clear that his pectoral injury was affecting him. In 10 games, Watt had just 5.5 sacks, along with 12 QB hits and eight tackles for loss.

Somehow, he still ended up at the Pro Bowl, seemingly based off his name. That's not to discredit his impact or anything, but with just 5.5 sacks in 10 games, it's hard to justify a Pro Bowl appearance. Regardless, it was the fifth trip of his career, and a few more will add to his potential Hall of Fame resume. The motivation will be there for him in 2023, as he's seen all of these rankings with Garrett, Bosa, and others rated above him this offseason.

To make matters even better, the Steelers face Bosa and Garrett in the first two weeks of the season. While that's not good for the offense's sake, Watt will get to go head-to-head against each of them at Acrisure Stadium. You think that will motivate him? You bet it will. In addition to the top-10 compiled by Fowler, there was five honorable mentions listed as well as seven other players that received votes. 

Do Steelers have the best edge rusher duo?

In total, there were 22 defenders that received at least one vote in this ranking. Notably, Steelers edge rusher Alex Highsmith's name did not appear once. This offseason, it's become evident that the league needs to see another dominant season from him before he appears in these kind of rankings. Perhaps just as importantly, the Charlotte product didn't produce as much without Watt in the lineup last year. 

That should be expected, as he began to face the double teams instead of Watt. Still, it's a fair assessment when ranking these top guys, as Watt and the others still put up huge stats despite facing double teams regularly. Highsmith has another thing to worry about this season as well, as it's his contract year. It's the final year of his rookie deal, as he will be an unrestricted free agent next offseason. 

At this point, an extension seems unlikely before the season starts. The Steelers will then have a difficult decision to make after the upcoming season. Trade rumors involving Highsmith broke out recently as well, although those seem to be false. Regardless, the Steelers should feel excited to have the best edge rushing duo in the NFL in 2023.

What kind of season do you expect out of Watt in 2023? Do you think Highsmith has been disrespected on these lists this offseason? What will he have to do in order to get his name into these conversations? Share your thoughts in the comment section below, yinz! 

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