Pittsburgh Steelers roster locks heading into 2020 season

Edge defenders

T.J. Watt

Bud Dupree

Ola Adeniyi

Alex Highsmith

I’ve said from the start that these are the four edge defenders who will make the roster for the Steelers this year, and I haven’t seen anything to suggest otherwise. T.J. Watt is obviously one of the most valuable edge defenders in the league and is coming off a season in which he was a Defensive Player of the Year candidate.

Bud Dupree was given the $15.828 million franchise tag this and is coming off his best season since entering the league as a first-round pick in 2015. I had an interview with Ola Adeniyi this offseason. Though the young outside linebacker hasn’t seen a ton of game action, he has been thoroughly impressive when his number has been called. I think he will be the first player off the bench for the Steelers in the OLB rotation.

Meanwhile, Alex Highsmith is a definite roster lock as Pittsburgh’s third-round draft choice in 2020. He will look to find his way into the edge rotation as a rookie. If history is correct, Tuzar Skipper will fall short of making the team as the fifth edge defender in a team that typically keeps just four.