The Pittsburgh Steelers could have a much more versatile look on defense in 2026.
Speaking on Tuesday at the first day of training camp, star linebacker T.J. Watt said fans should expect to see not only himself, but fellow edge rushers Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig lining up at multiple spots across the defensive front rather than staying in traditional roles.
"I know I say it every year, but I truly mean it," Watt said. "We all are going to be moving around."
The comments offer another glimpse into what new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham is building. Known for deploying creative fronts and disguising pressure packages throughout his coaching career, Graham appears intent on maximizing the Steelers' trio of premier pass rushers by creating favorable matchups and making it more difficult for opposing offenses to identify where pressure is coming from.
While Watt has primarily rushed from the left side and Highsmith from the right during their time together, both have shown the ability to switch sides when needed. Herbig has also emerged as an explosive rotational pass rusher, earning a larger role after flashing his ability to pressure quarterbacks in limited opportunities.

#pressure #herbig #pass #ability

The top priority for new Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy was to come in and improve a struggling offense. The jury is still out as to whether or not this happened based on our offensive grades but we do feel like the Steelers defense is ready to take the next step under new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham.
Here are our grades for the Steelers defensive positional units heading into training camp next week.
Even if Cameron Heyward is trending down in his career, he's still an excellent player. You pair him up with young star Derrick Harmon and they have the best pair of 3-4 defensive ends in the AFC. This unit would get an A if we had more confidence in a consistent season from nose tackle Keeanu Benton but the depth of Yahya Black and Sebastian Joseph-Day keeps this grade up.
The trio of T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig are the best trio of edge defenders in the NFL. Bar none. It's just a matter of getting them all of the field. All the focus is on them but Jack Sawyer is a great No. 4 edge.
This group is untapped potential and overrated salaries. Patrick Queen hasn't lived up to his contract, Payton Wilson is still a work in progress and no one else on the depth chart really matters.

#defensive #grades #best #depth

Jerry Rice talks 49ers: Mike Evans addition, De'Zhaun Stribling, 2026 expectations
"Just throw it up," Rice said. "Throw it up because he's got that big frame. He's going to be able to go up and attack the football. So, once you're in the end zone, just throw that thing up, like 'Alley-Oop' (R.C. Owens) back in the day. Just throw it up and let him go get it, and he's capable of doing that."
Andrew Whitworth questions 49ers' confidence in drafting an offensive tackle
"I think, to me, it does scream that maybe they just don't have a lot of confidence in their ability to select the right one," Whitworth told Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area this week at the American Century Championship in South Lake Tahoe.
When you're going to allocate a first-round pick or a second-round pick on an offensive lineman, a lot of people love that theory, but you better be ***** good at picking it," Whitworth said. "Because when you hit on an offensive lineman, it could be unbelievable for your franchise early in the draft, because a great offensive line, a great D-line is the story to successful football teams….You draft an unproductive lineman, you are cooked because now you're getting a second-, third-, fourth-tier lineman who's going to have to play because the money you allocated for this guy is worthless," Whitworth said. "And now, your team is going to struggle because you're not going to get quality reps out of a guy. So, you can both shoot your team forward and really set yourself back when you miss on offensive linemen."
Alex Highsmith to the 49ers? Steelers reporter suggests trade proposal
"Highsmith's absence from mandatory minicamp coupled with Nick Herbig's massive extension have led many, including myself, to believe the Steelers could look for a trade partner sooner than later," Vasquez explained. "The 49ers could desperately use another edge rusher to pair with Nick Bosa, and the Steelers may be one of the few teams with talent at the position to spare."
Why 'There's no logical reason to expect the 49ers' injury plague to extend into a third year'
"The 49ers added bigger bodies at receiver in Mike Evans and De'Zhaun Stribling. The same is true for defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa, who comes in with as clean a health bill as it gets for a pro."

The Detroit Lions have already seen their defense undergo significant changes this offseason, but one new trade proposal suggests general manager Brad Holmes may not be done adding talent.
According to Max Dible of Heavy.com, one intriguing possibility would send Pittsburgh Steelers edge rusher Alex Highsmith to Detroit, giving the Lions another proven pass rusher opposite Aidan Hutchinson.
Dible pointed to comments from ESPN's Bill Barnwell, who recently identified Highsmith as a logical trade candidate.
The Steelers have committed major money to both T.J. Watt and Nick Herbig, leaving Highsmith in an interesting position despite having two years remaining on his current contract. Because much of the money left on his deal is not guaranteed, Pittsburgh would have flexibility if it decided to move him.
Barnwell believes that combination of contract structure and the Steelers' financial commitments elsewhere could make Highsmith available either before the regular season or ahead of the NFL trade deadline.

From the moment Mike Tomlin stepped down as Pittsburgh Steelers head coach, the team was in a state of flux. In is new head coach, Mike McCarthy and his whole new staff, Aaron Rodgers decided to come back and play for his old coach and the front office added multiple new players. But with less than a month to training camp, we don't feel like every move the Steelers made has been the right one, and there have been some serious mistakes made that could cost the team in the regular season.
Here is our breakdown of the three biggest mistakes the Steelers made this offseason.
Last season, Rodgers was a very average quarterback and a shell of his former self. He didn't show his trademark poise and wanted to get rid of the football as quickly as possible on every play. So of course, the Steelers would bring him back and double his salary. If Rodgers was the final piece of a contender, that would be fine, but Rodgers over one of the other quarterbacks on the roster means 9-10 wins and a middle-of-the-round draft pick.
When it was reported that McCarthy would be the new head coach, we knew the offensive coordinator would be nothing more than a figurehead for the offense and this offense belongs to McCarthy. This will definitely be the case with Brian Angelichio. He's basically said the game plan will all be finalized by McCarthy, so instead of a young, innovative offensive mind who could eventually be a head coach, the Steelers get this.
If the Steelers had traded either T.J. Watt or Alex Highsmith, giving Herbig a $100 million contract extension might not have seemed like a big deal. But now the Steelers have $82 million on the books for the three of them in 2027 and in the meantime, cornerback Joey Porter Jr. patiently waits for his own huge contract. If the goal wasn't to trade another edge defender, the front office should have signed Porter Jr. first.

Despite all the work the new Pittsburgh Steelers coaching staff has put into the offense, the team is still on track to have the most expensive defense in the NFL in 2026. This is due in large part to a massive investment in the outside linebacker position. The Steelers gave backup edge defender Nick Herbig a four-year, $100 million contract this offseason despite never putting in a full season as a starter.
But Herbig's deal isn't the contract from Pittsburgh that made the list as one of the 10 worst in the NFL. NO, that honor goes to T.J. Watt, who is currently playing on a three-year, $125 million contract with $108 million of that guaranteed. The Steelers signed Watt to his massive contract coming off of a season where he had only seven sacks and looked like a shell of the player who had double-digit sacks in seven of the eight previous seasons.
Now, the Steelers have committed $83 million in salary cap to those three players for 2027 and unless new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham finds a way to get Watt back on track, this will continue to look like one of the worst contract decisions the Steelers front office has ever made.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Steelers defensive star ranked among worst contracts in the NFL

The Carolina Panthers cut bait with outside linebacker DJ Johnson, one of the biggest draft busts in franchise history, over eight months ago. But somehow, their decision to move up and select him back in 2023 was made to look even worse this week.
Between Tuesday and Wednesday, the Pittsburgh Steelers gladly handed over contract extensions to pass rusher Nick Herbig and tight end Darnell Washington. Herbig inked a pretty massive four-year, $100 million pact while Washington struck a cool four-year, $42 million agreement.
So, what do they have to do with Johnson and the Panthers?
Well, Herbig and Washington landed in Pittsburgh thanks, in large part, to the trade former Carolina general manager Scott Fitterer made to take Johnson. Fitterer sent the Steelers the 93rd and 132nd overall picks of that draft in exchange for the 80th—which would be used on the very raw 25-year-old defender.
Pittsburgh then scooped up Washington with No. 93 and Herbig with No. 132. (Those picks, by the way, were initially acquired by the Panthers in their trade of superstar running back Christian McCaffrey.)