Steelers will finally have the defensive trio they have been dreaming of at their disposal against the Cleveland Browns

If there is one area that the Pittsburgh Steelers' defense majors in, it's pass rush. They go four deep at the EDGE position, with Jack Sawyer already earning a sack in his limited playing time. But it's all about the big three.

The trio of T.J. Watt, Nick Herbig, and Alex Highsmith. A 1-2-3 punch that the Steelers have rarely been able to use over the years. Whether it's been due to Herbig, Highsmith, or Watt being injured, the time on task simply hasn't been there.

That is evidenced by their amount of time on the field together. Sure the Steelers aren't going to deploy all three of them on the field as a base defense, but the trio has been on the field just 2 snaps in 2025.

That's about to change.

Alex Highsmith set to return from injury vs. Browns

"From a health standpoint, feel really encouraged about the return of some people who've been out," said head coach Mike Tomlin on Tuesday. "Guys like Alex Highsmith and Joey Porter Jr, for example, worked yesterday on our bonus day, and the arrows pointed up on their participation, but we'll follow them throughout the week to make sure it continues to move in the appropriate direction."

The core of the Steelers fanbase and those who study the league in depth know how valuable Alex Highsmith is to the Steelers' defense. Not only is he a more complete player against the run than Herbig, but Highsmith has a 26.9 percent pressure rate, meaning he's pressuring the QB on over a quarter of his pass rush reps.

Plainly put, he's efficient and disruptive.