Steelers' Omar Khan Could Be Waiting To Move One Of The Edge Rushers

Pittsburgh Steelers General Manager Omar Khan has been a busy man over the last couple of days. He's extended two players from the 2023 draft class: Darnell Washington and Nick Herbig. Herbig came as a surprise, as in his three-year career, he's served as a backup in a loaded edge-rusher room led by TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith. He's shown flashes of stardom, but injuries and a crowded room have kept him off the field. 2026 looks like it will be more of the same for the former Wisconsin Badgers standout, but his new contract won't kick in until the 2027 season. 

When it was announced that Herbig would be signing a massive extension, it sparked controversy about the edge rusher room. As Highsmith missed practice the next day with an illness, it was later said to be a false report. Highsmith signed a four-year, $68 million contract extension in July of 2023, with a $20 million cap hit in 2026. Now it poses the question: will the Steelers move one of their star edge rushers? 

Christopher Carter of the Post-Gazette recently appeared on an episode of The North Shore Drive, where he discussed the team's dilemma of pass rushers. Carter believes Khan is going to take his time and not just give away one of his premier players when they could be more valuable later on—making a trade deadline move like he did when he sent Chase Claypool to the Chicago Bears (which turned into Joey Porter Jr.).

"Do you want to force it to happen and give away Alex Highsmith or TJ Watt, or whoever you're going to trade away for a value that doesn't match what you could have gotten?" Carter asked. "For example. You go back to the Chase Claypool trade, you know they waited until the trade deadline. You know, there were questions about would they keep him? What's his trajectory with the team? They waited it out and got the first pick of the second round in next year's draft."

Trading one of the trio defenders is easier said than done. Herbig is now likely off-limits after signing a new extension, but Watt's contract doesn't necessarily match his recent level of play, which makes it really hard to get compensation worth the move. 

Highsmith was the Steelers' best edge rusher last season and ended the year on a very high note, but he has a very team-friendly contract. That makes him the easiest to move, and perhaps their best option. 

"If I'm the Steelers, I keep an eye out or move Alex Highsmith, but I'm not forcing it," Carter said. "And that's why I'm not so sure it happens before this season... I think this could be really interesting is if the Steelers get to the trade deadline and it's like right in approaching there and there's you know, a team like the Rams made this move before hand... But let's say the Seahawks are like in an arms race and they're like man, we could use one more edge rusher."

Steelers Have No Easy Decision

The Steelers seemingly made the right choice extending Herbig for the long-term. He's 24-years-old and an ascending pass rusher, but it means a tough decision has to be made with Watt and Highsmith at some point. One of the two might be moved, otherwise Herbig and is contract will be potentially wasted. 

A lot can happen between June and November when the trade deadline takes place. If the Steelers are in a good spot, will they be able to move Highsmith or Watt?

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