Steelers' Trade Partner Revealed For Sizable Move

The Pittsburgh Steelers are going through an interesting period in franchise history. With a new head coach and staff stepping in, the Black and Gold have made it clear that it is still aiming towards being a contender in 2026. Through free agent acquisitions and a strong draft class that addressed several key positions, the Steelers are combining their veteran presence along with a youth movement to create a well-oiled machine. It's clear that even through a transitional period, the team isn't shying away from meeting expectations. 

Through general manager Omar Khan's willingness to make some aggressive moves at times, the Steelers have found themselves in a unique conundrum. Pittsburgh has always prided itself on its loaded defenses. As of late, the pass rush has been the Steelers' most attractive positional group on the defense, with players like TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith constantly reaching double-digit sack numbers. 

However, with the emergence of young star Nick Herbig, the organization was put into a situation where it wanted to keep all three. Despite this, with Herbig just signing a huge extension that will keep him in the Steel City through the 2030 season, Pittsburgh has a lot of capital invested in its edge rushers. 

The issue is that it will be hard to consistently keep three edge rushers on the field. Yes, there will be packages set up for the three, but paying $25 million a year to Herbig and not giving him a starting role doesn't make a ton of sense. This leads to the question: how will the Steelers deal with too much of a good thing? Well, they might not be able to as rumors have been circulating regarding trading either Watt or Highsmith to at least get some compensation. With Watt having too much guaranteed money and being hard to move, Highsmith seems to be the sensible option. 

On Pro Football Talk, Mike Florio and Chris Simms talked about a trade destination for Highsmith. 

"I think the Bears are the first team that should be picking up the phone, because they have been looking for something. There has been an expectation, locally, that at some point they would explore adding to their pass rushers," Florio said. 

While moving Highsmith would be painful for many fans, he's the only player of the three who could be easily dealt. He has proven that he can be a really effective pass rusher and is spectacular against the run, something not all edge rushers possess. Watt's contract makes him nearly impossible to ship off, and sending Highsmith out of the AFC to a NFC contender is the most plausible move. 

While Pittsburgh probably wouldn't get a first-round pick for Highsmith, he'd still command some value. Multiple mid-round draft picks would be the most likely compensation. While his sack numbers will be missed, the front office has to cash in on the fact that they've struck gold with outside linebackers over the years. Herbig's emergence has really made things difficult, in a good way, for the Steelers. 

Steelers Would Need To Be Very Creative Schemes To Play All 3

Pittsburgh's coaching staff has been vocal that it plans on using all three premier pass rushers on the field at the same time, especially after the investment that the team just made, it only makes sense to use them all. This will only wreak havoc for opposing offenses, but how sustainable will it be? With Herbig being the smaller, faster of the three, he could be used to overload one side or even more off the ball. 

With all three on the field, the Steelers are banking on their pass rush to get home. With an upgraded secondary, this only becomes more of a possibility. The defense should be a strong piece in 2026, and is just another effort to keep the team competitive.