The 2025 Pittsburgh Steelers defense was massively inconsistent. The Steelers entered the season with big expectations and didn’t really deliver. However, that doesn’t mean there weren’t players on the defense who were standout players.
Pro Football Focus’ Ryan Smith profiled the top 20 edge defenders in 2025 by PFF grades on Monday, and two Steelers cracked the list. Nick Herbig tied for sixth, while Alex Highsmith narrowly missed out on a top-10 spot in 11th.
“Herbig is on the short list for most underrated players in the NFL today,” Smith wrote. “The 2023 fourth-round pick ranked seventh among 110 qualifying edge defenders with an 87.3 PFF pass-rush grade while improving significantly against the run, bumping his run-defense grade from 48.2 last season to 72.7 in 2025.”
Nick Herbig is somehow one of the best edge defenders in the league while seeing less playing time than the two edge defenders ahead of him on the Steelers’ depth chart. He finished the 2025 regular season with 7.5 sacks, 18 quarterback hits, 30 total tackles, 13 tackles for a loss, one interception, three passes broken up, and three forced fumbles. In the biggest game of the season, Week 18 versus the Baltimore Ravens for the AFC North title, Herbig only played 13 snaps. However, he generated three pressures on QB Lamar Jackson on just five pass rushes. Herbig turned one of those pressures into a sack.
EZ view of early Nick Herbig sack. Discards RB and gets Lamar Jackson #Steelers #NFL pic.twitter.com/u04llSFmde
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) January 5, 2026
Herbig continues to be an impact player whenever he steps onto the field. Perhaps what should encourage Steelers fans the most is his growth in run defense. You could make the argument that Herbig was a liability against the run in 2024. You couldn’t say the same in 2025. Based on his performance, Herbig deserves to see the field much more than he has in his career so far.
Much like Herbig played the run better in 2025, Alex Highsmith played the run incredibly well, too.
“Much like his teammate Nick Herbig mentioned earlier, Alex Highsmith is another underrated player on a Steelers defense led by veterans such as T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward,” Smith wrote. “His 82.2 PFF run-defense grade was a career-best and ranked fourth among 118 qualifying EDGE defenders this season.”
Highsmith finished the 2025 season with 50 total tackles, 15 tackles for a loss, 9.5 sacks, 19 quarterback hits, three passes defensed, and one forced fumble. If you’re interested in seeing just how Highsmith played against the run, check out our own Alex Kozora’s video breakdown. Highsmith was great against the run and rushing the passer, which hammers home just how versatile he is.
The problem for the Steelers is that they have three great edge rushers in T.J. Watt, Highsmith, and Herbig. They also have last year’s fourth-round pick, Jack Sawyer. We’ve seen how impactful Herbig is in limited snaps, and many people are clamoring for him to get more play. Do the Steelers need to move someone this offseason? Beat writer Ray Fittipaldo thinks general manager Omar Khan will at least investigate the trade value of his pass rushers.
Regardless, the Steelers had two of the 20 best edge rushers in the league in 2025. Neither of them was T.J. Watt, either. Hopefully, for the 2026 edition of the defense, the Steelers will have great edge defenders again. Will Nick Herbig and Alex Highsmith repeat in 2026? Will both of them still be in Pittsburgh? Only time will tell.
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