Steelers 2-a-days: Can Alex Highsmith be more? Local product Donovan Jeter added
Editor’s note: From now until the first practice of training camp at Saint Vincent College, the Trib will be running through the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 90-man roster, assessing each player’s outlook for the 2022 season. The breakdown will go through the roster in mostly-alphabetical order, two per day, between June 11 and July 25. Contract data courtesy spotrac.com.
OLB ALEX HIGHSMITH
Experience: 3rd season
Contract status: $1.169 million cap hit in 2022, signed through 2023
2022 outlook: Two years into his NFL career, Highsmith has proven to be a hard-working player liked by teammates and coaches, a reliably steady edge defender worthy of starting. He is regarded as above-average against the run and has shown an ability to drop in coverage. Last season, only NFL defensive player of the year T.J. Watt had more tackles for loss (15) among Steelers.
On whole, Highsmith has pretty much been the epitome of what a third-round pick should be: a more-than-adequate, if unspectacular, starter. And there is nothing wrong with that. But can Highsmith be more? This season can perhaps provide an answer for that. Highsmith has only eight career sacks, which for an outside linebacker in the Steelers’ system is frankly not enough over two seasons. Although a more-encouraging six of those sacks did come in 2021, Highsmith’s pass-rush win percentage (as calculated by Pro Football Focus) of 5.0% ranked 54th among the 62 edge defenders who had the most pass-rushing snaps.
Highsmith has shown he’s a good NFL player. But he probably needs to show better pass rushing production for the Steelers to commit to him over a longer term.
Steelers OLB Alex Highsmith on the raw sack numbers not being there but recognizing he’s still playing well rushing the passer and otherwise pic.twitter.com/OpifCRApWd
— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) December 16, 2021
DL DONOVAN JETER
Experience: Rookie
Contract status: $709,166 cap hit in 2022, signed through 2024
2022 outlook: One of 10 undrafted players the Steelers signed immediately upon the conclusion of the draft, the 6-foot-3, 325-pound Jeter won a PIAA championship at Beaver Falls and is part of an athletic family that includes older brother Sheldon, a former Pitt basketball player. Donovan Jeter was part of Michigan’s run to the College Football Playoff last season. Jeter made only four career starts and had no sacks in college, but he has good size and showed versatility in playing all along the defensive line in college.
The ceiling for Jeter for the start of the 2022 season would seem to be a spot on the practice squad. The Steelers have five veterans along the defensive line who have six or more years of NFL experience and appear to have secure roster spots locked up, in addition to promising second-year player Isaiahh Loudermilk and rookie third-round pick DeMarvin Leal. That leaves Jeter needing to impress enough at camp that he is viewed as more valuable than some in a group that includes Henry Mondeaux, Carlos and Khalil Davis and/or Daniel Archibong. That the Steelers reportedly gave Jeter a signing bonus of $12,500 — a significant number for an undrafted rookie — signals they consider him a potential future roster-able player.
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Chris Adamski is a TribLive reporter who has covered primarily the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2014 following two seasons on the Penn State football beat. A Western Pennsylvania native, he joined the Trib in 2012 after spending a decade covering Pittsburgh sports for other outlets. He can be reached at cadamski@triblive.com.
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