The Pittsburgh Steelers are going to be leaning on the potential to have a top 10 defense to win games in 2022. The Steelers have the reigning Defensive Player of the Year TJ Watt at one outside linebacker position, but they have a guy on the other side of him ready to explode in his 3rd year!
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - DECEMBER 19: T.J. Watt #90 and Alex Highsmith #56 of the Pittsburgh Steelers celebrate a sack against the Tennessee Titans in the third quarter of the game at Heinz Field on December 19, 2021 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
OLB Alex Highsmith earned more of an opportunity with the Steelers in 2021 as opposed to his rookie year, he was the team's starter opposite of Watt. He started 16 games and tripled his sack production from his rookie campaign in 2020.
The 3rd-year man, out of UNC Charlotte, totaled 74 combined tackles (46 solos), 6 sacks, 20 tackles for a loss, 21 QB hits, and 1 forced fumble last season. Can he increase his sack production by a substantial amount again in this upcoming season? That's his goal!
On Monday, Highsmith joined the Movin’ The Chains show on SiriusXM NFL Radio. He spoke about a number of topics including his goals for this season.
"I feel like every year in the league so far, I've grown," Highsmith said on the show. "That's something I'm looking forward to doing this year as well. This year is a big year for me because I made a big jump from my first year to my second year, and now this year's gotta be the year that pass rushing wise, that I hit double digit sack markers. So, I'm just going to do whatever I can. I'm working my butt off this offseason to be the best player I can be. I'm in great shape right now, I feel great. Just looking forward to adding value to this team and being the best player, I can be."
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith (#56) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, November, 21, 2021 in Inglewood, California. (Will Navarro/Pittsburgh Steelers)
Specifically, what are Highsmith's goals for 2022?
"I know the goal that I have for this year is the 10 or 12 sack mark and just continue to make plays in the run game," Highsmith continued. "I feel like I've gotten faster and stronger. I've gained weight but I actually feel faster than I was last year at a lower weight. So, I'm excited for this season to come.""I think just really working on my get off and pass rush game and I think that really starts with getting a great first step with stride length," Highsmith continued with what he thinks he needs to work on to reach that 10-12 sacks goal.
"And one thing I've been able to do with working at that to improve that is working on my hip flexibility. So, I've been doing a lot of hip stretches and stuff like that. Stretching my quads, stretching my hips, so I can really extend and get off. Cause really the pass rush starts with the get off. If you don't have a good get off, the O-Lineman is going to beat you to your spot and then he's kinda waiting on you. But if you can have a good get off and be into that spot then it's kind of over."
"That's something I've been working on a lot," Steelers' Highsmith said. "Just continuing I need to refine my moves. Just continuing to develop more moves, and really just continuing to refine the ones that I go to a lot. And I look forward to just using those this year. I think another way I jumped over the past couple years is my mental game. The more I continue to see the game, the more I continue to play the game the game gets slower for me."
Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO
We look forward to watching you terrorize opposing quarterbacks this year, Highsmith!
What do yinz think about Highsmith's goals for the 2022 season? Sound off in the comment section below, or on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram!
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