_The Steelers have left virtually_ [_no position on the roster untouched this offseason_](https://www.steelers.com/team/players-roster/)_, and the outside linebacker group is no exception. Having experienced yet another one-and-done postseason exit, they are trying just about anything to achieve more favorable results. With bold swings via trade, shrewd free-agent signings, and a clear draft priority, the 2025 Steelers are taking shape._
_With training camp fast approaching, it’s time to go over the Steelers’ roster to see where we are and how we got here. This has been an offseason arguably unlike any other for the organization, featuring major turnover. They’ve gone through so much change, it feels necessary at this time to take stock before we move on._
**Position: [Outside Linebacker](https://steelersdepot.com/2025/04/2025-steelers-pre-draft-movements-outside-linebacker/)**
**Total Positional Figure: 7**
**Additions: 1**
**Deletions: 1**
**Players Retained:**
**T.J. Watt:** Everyone knows what Watt can do on the field. The only question is how much the Steelers are willing to pay the generational outside linebacker. That, and how far Watt is willing to push the envelope, having skipped mandatory minicamp.
**Alex Highsmith:** Highsmith’s biggest problem has been staying healthy. When healthy, he gives the Steelers arguably the best outside linebacker combination in the league. Despite his best efforts to train his body, however, these issues seem to pop up.
**Nick Herbig:** The Steelers openly admit they want to find ways to get the third-year outside linebacker on the field more. In 606 career defensive snaps, Herbig has 8.5 sacks and six forced fumbles. There are questions about how he would hold up with a full workload, and his ability to set the edge. But he has already proven, even in limited snaps, that he can make difference-making plays.
**Jeremiah Moon:** Though he made a mark on special teams last year, Moon is a JAG in the Steelers’ outside linebacker room. If he makes the roster in 2025, it would be purely due to special teams. With Herbig and Jack Sawyer as depth, he would never see snaps unless due to injury.
**Julius Welschof:** An international player, Welschof offers some intrigue. He flashed as a pass rusher during the preseason last year but then suffered an injury. He is back for another season, and the Steelers can tuck him away as their outside linebacker on the practice squad.
**Eku Leota:** A brief contributor last year when the Steelers dealt with outside linebacker injuries. Leota figures to be in competition for a practice squad spot.
**Players Added:**
**Jack Sawyer:** The Steelers didn’t set out to draft an outside linebacker, as we keep hearing. But when Jack Sawyer fell to them in the fourth round, they couldn’t say no. A complete player with an ascending pass-rush game and a knack for setting the edge, he screams Steelers. Or at least he does before he has to put on pads, but hey, we might as well be excited about something.
**Players Lost:**
**Thomas Rush:** Remember Thomas Rush? Probably not. The Steelers worked him out at outside linebacker in 2024 but did not sign him until after the season. They released him after the draft, during which they selected Jack Sawyer.
**Notes and Camp Outlook:**
The Steelers may have their deepest outside linebacker group since—well, I don’t know when. That is, of course, assuming T.J. Watt shows up and all that, but I’m not concerned. As far as Watt and Highsmith go, there’s nothing to talk about here. They just need to get through camp healthy.
I don’t think there’s even much to say about Nick Herbig either. I’m sure we’ll hear interviews about the excitable young Steelers outside linebacker working on a new move or even teaching a move to older guys. The only real mystery is about what inroads Jack Sawyer can make as he pushes his way into the rotation.