Omar Khan didn't sit on his hands during the 2025 offseason; the Pittsburgh Steelers' general manager did everything in his power to improve the strength of the roster. On paper, the Steelers look like a potential playoff contender. Their cornerback room looks stronger than it has in a long time, while their interior defensive line was bolstered with rookies Derrick Harmon and Yahya Black.
But the best positional group on the team is already glaringly obvious—it's the edge defender room.
The Steelers only ever keep four edge rushers (or outside linebackers) on their final roster, whereas most teams keep five or even six edge defenders. However, this group has the perfect collection of everything Pittsburgh needs at the position.
The obvious leader of the group is T.J. Watt. The four-time First-Team All-Pro and 2021 Defensive Player of the Year finished fourth in DPOY voting in 2024 and still graded out as the third-best edge rusher in the NFL last year, according to Pro Football Focus. But Watt by himself is only part of the equation.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have a top-notch EDGE room
While Watt earns most of the attention from both the media and opposing defenses—and rightfully so—his counterparts deserve praise. Alex Highsmith is a well-rounded pass rusher with a lethal spin move that leaves offensive tackles in a cyclone. Highsmith was the eight-graded EDGE from PFF last season, thanks to his consistency as both a pass rusher and run defender.
Meanwhile, Nick Herbig might be the best No. 3 edge rusher in the NFL. At 6'2'' and 240 pounds, Herbig has his limitations as a run defender, but his pass-rush juice is undeniable. The shifty defender uses a lethal combination of speed, burst, dip, and leverage with a wide array of pass rush moves to make blocking him nearly impossible at times.
Herbig's dominance in this department netted him an astonishing 91.5 pass rush grade from PFF during the 2024 season—falling just short of Myles Garrett (92.8) and Micah Parsons (91.6). The Wisconsin product is entering his third NFL season at just 23 years old, and he should only continue to get better.
Pittsburgh's edge rusher room is rounded out with fourth-round rookie Jack Sawyer. The Ohio State product fits a different mold than the other pass rushers on the team. At 6'4 1/4'' and 260, Sawyer doesn't have the same twitch as his Steelers peers, and he's a bit stiff hipped. Still, Sawyer could prove to be a quality No. 4 EDGE.
On Marcus Mosher's NFL Draft Expert Consensus Board, Sawyer was the 75th overall player in the 2025 NFL Draft, ranked by the top experts in the business. However, the Steelers were able to land him with the 123rd overall pick on Day 3 of the draft.
Sawyer brings power as a run defender and the ability to win on inside rushes that should continue to grow over time.
While injuries could derail a promising season ahead for this group, the Pittsburgh Steelers' edge rusher room should once again prove to be one of the best in the NFL in 2025, as it's clearly the strongest position on the team.