The Pittsburgh Steelers head into the 2026 season with one of the best edge-rushing corps in the NFL. From T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith to highly paid Nick Herbig and Jack Sawyer, there’s a lot to like about the room.
But the group still has to adapt, like everyone else in the NFL. Especially Watt, who’s seen his sack total decrease each of the last two seasons and notched just seven last year. On his teammate Cam Heyward’s Not Just Football podcast, Watt spoke about his mentality at this point in his career.
“You’re always trying to add things to your repertoire but also understanding what got you here. And I think, always throwing your fastball no matter what,” Watt said. “If a guy looks like he can stop speed, it doesn’t mean you should shy away from speed because speed is what got me here. So that doesn’t mean I have to stop throwing my fastball just because he looks like he can defend it… You’re just trying to go out each and every day and try to throw your best pitches.”
Watt has been one of the league’s better edge rushers for years now. And while he prefers some aspects of his game to stay the same, it seems there is some change in his immediate future. While Watt has been dominant rushing from the left side of the defense, Patrick Graham has shown a willingness to move his edge rushers back and forth, something Watt hasn’t done much in the past.
He prefers to stick with his fastball, and that’s something he should be able to do under Graham. Like most Steelers defensive players, Watt has been pleased with Graham, and he specifically likes the “freedom” he can play with under him.
He’s not the only edge rusher on the roster who’s undergoing some change either. Alex Highsmith also shed some light on how his own mentality is shifting.
“Being very ball conscious, because we can’t really hit the quarterback like that anymore,” Highsmith said. “I think just having an emphasis on ball searching and just getting the ball out, I think is so important. Because, you know, a sack is nice, but a strip-sack changes games.”
While Watt’s overall production wasn’t great last season, he still forced some splash plays with three forced fumbles and two interceptions. Herbig also has a knack for splash plays, with an interception and three forced fumbles of his own last year.
It will be interesting to see if splash plays are something the Steelers can continue to create on a consistent basis. On paper, they certainly have the talent to do it. Many members of this same defense forced 27 turnovers last year, fourth most in the NFL. But the Steelers’ defense didn’t have a single takeaway in three preseason games. That definitely could change once the games start to matter, but it’s something to note so far.
We’ve gotten a glimpse of Graham’s defense, but the regular season will be the real tell of how Watt and Highsmith are going to be used. Regardless of that, they’re setting clear goals for themselves heading into Week 1.
