The Pittsburgh Steelers have dealt with a lot of injuries recently. The list of names getting added to the report every other day is concerning. Some players are young backups looking to prove they belong, and others are veterans trying to rebound from a rough end to the previous season. Injuries happen to every team at this time of the year, but this is still way too many for Pittsburgh. Changes might have to be made to help out in this case.
Alex Highsmith is one of the many players that have missed practiced time in recent days. For him, it's some sort of groin strain. He has dealt with that type of injury numerous times in his NFL career, among other issues as well. In 2024, he missed six games: three to a groin strain, and another three to a sprained ankle. As of now, he is expected to be healthy for Week 1 of the regular season, but anything can happen.
Ben Roethlisberger brought that up on his show, Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger. He also spoke about some reports of Highsmith possibly being shopped due to his many injuries in recent years.
"Alex [Highsmith], obviously, is hurt again, which is a big bummer," Roethlisberger said. "Hopefully it's nothing crazy, because he cannot keep getting -- these little nagging injuries can't keep lingering. It's just not good for him; it's not good for the team. There's been new reports and rumors of trading him now because of not being able to stay healthy. We don't want to see that. We want to see Alex stay here and stay here for a long time."
Highsmith has shown what he can do when he's not being held back by injury, whether he's playing through it or sitting on the bench. In 2022, when he had no nagging issues, he racked up 14.5 sacks and an NFL-leading five forced fumbles to go along with 12 tackles for loss. He set career-highs in almost every category that year, but has not been able to touch those highs ever since.
The Steelers also have Nick Herbig waiting in the wings. He would likely be a starter on most other NFL teams, so giving him a chance to play a full season could be good for him and Pittsburgh. They also used their fourth-round pick this past April on Jack Sawyer, who was seen as an absolute steal. He has been having a great training camp and has even taken some reps with the first team defense, so he will be looking to earn some playing time too.
If there is any team in the NFL that can afford to trade away a high-end edge rusher, it's Pittsburgh. If Highsmith can't stay healthy, they can get some future draft capital and let the young guns get more snaps.
Steelers' Trade Value For Highsmith
If the Steelers were to trade Highsmith away, they would save $13 million against the cap in 2025, with some of those savings being transferred to 2026 as a dead cap hit. However, he has no guaranteed money left, so it's not like teams have to be worried about being locked into an albatross of a contract for the long-term future. That could make a potential deal for him more enticing.
However, his injury concerns lower his trade value quite a bit. If a deal were to be done, the most likely scenario is that the Steelers could receive either a third-round pick and possibly an additional Day 3 selection. Either way, Pittsburgh has some tough decisions to make on one of the best edge rushers in the NFL...when healthy.
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