Steelers' Teryl Austin Compares Rookie To Former Pittsburgh First-Round Pick

The Pittsburgh Steelers' biggest weakness in 2025 has been their run defense. They have had a tendency of letting running backs run wild all game long, with the exception of a couple specific contests. That does not bode well for them, as they have to go up against the Detroit Lions in Week 16 and their elite ground game. To make matters worse, both TJ Watt and Nick Herbig are expected to miss that contest. The two starting edge rushers for Sunday are quality run-stoppers, but there is little depth behind them.

Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin had lots of praise for the rookie that will have to start in this game, as he compared fourth-round pick Jack Sawyer to another player that used to play in Pittsburgh. Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette transcribed the comparison.

"It kind of reminds when we had Bud [Dupree] as a big, 265-pound guy," Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin said. "Jack [Sawyer] is that way. It was all new for him because he was a defensive end in college. All this stuff is new, but I think it helps us because he can be a little heavier anchor for us to set the edge. Sometimes on the edge, guys will use their quickness to move around. This guy can actually sit down and set an edge. He’s making the transition well."

Like Sawyer, 2015 first-round pick Bud Dupree was drafted as a defensive end after coming from a 4-3 system, but the Steelers had him transition to 3-4 outside linebacker / edge rusher. He is still playing in that role to this day, so it seems like he developed his new position well. He's just a depth piece now at this stage of his career, but he is a very effective one. Pittsburgh saw that first-hand on Sunday Night Football against the Los Angeles Chargers just a few weeks ago.

It took Dupree a little while to get acclimated to outside linebacker, as he battled injuries and inconsistencies, but he broke out in 2019 with a dominant 11.5-sack performance opposite of Watt. Those two were a dominant two-headed monster, as Dupree was able to take full advantage of the one-on-one matchups that he would draw every single week, and it worked out well.

Dupree was primed for another career year in 2020 before an ACL injury ended his season early. After that, Alex Highsmith won the starting job opposite of Watt, so the Steelers had to let the former first-round pick walk in free agency. Since then, he has bounced around the league with mixed results, and he seems to be doing well in a backup/closer role currently. 

Steelers Are Giving Sawyer More Of A Chance To Develop

Despite being selected in the fourth round, Sawyer was seen as an absolute steal that should not have fallen into Pittsburgh's lap. However, his status as a Day 3 pick combined with the insane depth that the Steelers have at edge rusher is allowing him to learn as a backup and not be thrown into the fire immediately like Dupree was. So far, it seems to be working well. 

Despite playing in just 21% of defensive snaps to go with 78% of special teams snaps, Sawyer has 26 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, three passes defended, and an interception. He has the occasional big play, but for the most part, he is doing his part in setting the edge and not letting opposing running backs bounce to the outside for a huge gain. 

Between Sawyer and Herbig's quality play, many fans have wanted Highsmith to be traded so the two young guns can get more reps. If that were to happen, the 2025 rookie would become the primary run-down linebacker. The increase in snaps will allow him to take that next step in being a high-end edge rusher after playing defensive end in college.

What do you think about Austin comparing Sawyer to Dupree? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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