The Steelers experienced a letdown in their home opener today with a loss to the visiting Seahawks, but a player lost due to injury could have longer lasting reverberations over the next few weeks. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, head coach Mike Tomlin disclosed that pass rusher Alex Highsmith has suffered a high-ankle sprain. 
High-ankle sprains don’t have a great reputation in the NFL. The injury typically holds an average recovery length of around 10 weeks. There’s always a chance that Highsmith’s could be a more minor occurrence, but even that would likely mean a four- to six-week absence with a stint on injured reserve.
This has been an unfortunate trend for Pittsburgh over the last year or so. In 2024, Highsmith missed two separate three-week periods. A groin injury sidelined him after only three games, then after three games back on the field, an ankle injury forced the Charlotte product out for another three games.
Highsmith has been a key contributor to the Steelers defense since getting drafted by the team in the third round in 2020. After coming off the bench as a rookie, Highsmith has been a full-time starter in every year since. Before last year’s absences, he had only missed a single game. He exploded onto the scene in his third season with a 14.5-sack performance, earning himself a four-year, $68MM extension.
He hasn’t reached double-digit sack totals since then, but he routinely contributes to a defense that features other talented pass rushers like T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward. The Steelers like a lot of the pieces they have in place along the defense and young backups like Nick Herbig and fourth-rookie Jack Sawyer could step up big in Highsmith’s absence. Still, a potential IR stint could make things difficult as the injuries continue to stack up in Pittsburgh.
Dude can’t play a 16/17 game slate to save his life and it’s a shame cause the talent and power is there when at 100%. Not as much of a shame as the “historic” defense itself, but at least they’ll still find a way to eke out a 9-8 finish to save Tomlin’s career. The only thing that changed from last year’s Steelers team is the fact they started with a clean slate record.
We’re gonna find out real quick if Sawyer is on the Lamar Woodley or Anthony Chickillo side of the scale in terms of potential career arc. It’s a shame Highsmith can’t stay healthy for say, an entire season because if it’s the former for Sawyer that’s an awfully large cap hit for someone who struggles to stay healthy. Herbig, who in his own right is oft-injured, has to hold up if this truly is that bad of a sprain. Not for nothing, there’s a mountain of pressure on Harmon to come back and as a rookie at least make this team respectable against the run, too. The irony of Heyward’s added bonuses was the only fan walking out of the stadium smiling.