Fresh approach of rotating 3 outside linebackers proving effective for Steelers

Keith Butler has a couple hundred reasons why he likes to develop a rotation at the Pittsburgh Steelers’ outside linebacker positions.

It doesn’t matter if it’s hot and sticky in September or cold and damp in December that influences the defensive coordinator’s plan. It’s the size of the guards and tackles the pass rushers face that, um, weighs heavily on his mind.

“It’s just the fact that those guys are wrestling dadgum 300-pound guys, and you get tired doing that mess,” Butler said about the rotation that was used in the Steelers’ 23-16 season-opening win against the Buffalo Bills. “You guys that have wrestled before, you know what I’m talking about. We want to make sure we try to keep them as fresh as possible.”

The rotation involving T.J. Watt, Melvin Ingram III and second-year outside linebacker Alex Highsmith worked well enough against Buffalo that the Bills managed one touchdown on 85 snaps, and the Steelers generated three sacks — two provided by Watt — while primarily rushing the passer with just four players.

Expect the Steelers to keep interchanging pieces Sunday when the Steelers (1-0) face the Las Vegas Raiders (1-0) at Heinz Field in the home opener.

“It’s our job to keep all three men fresh and engaged and in a position to make plays for us,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “That’s what we intended to do, that’s how it unfolded and that will be our mentality moving forward. … They’re all varsity. They’re all going to be significant. We’re excited we’ve got all three of them, and we intend to utilize all three of them.”

When Bud Dupree exited for Tennessee in free agency, it gave the Steelers a chance to elevate Highsmith, the 2020 third-round pick from Charlotte, to a starting job alongside Watt, the NFL Defensive Player of the Year runner-up. Still, faced with concerns about depth behind their starters, the Steelers signed Ingram, a nine-year veteran and three-time Pro Bowl pick, on the eve of training camp.

Ingram’s addition figured to cut into Highsmith’s playing time the most — and Highsmith had the fewest snaps among the trio in the season opener — but there have been no complaints so far.

“We all push each other to be the best we can be,” Highsmith said. “We all came into this camp prepared and determined to be the best defense we can be. All three of us can come in and provide quality rushes. All three of us can produce. And if we do, it’s going to be special.”

It certainly had that look against the Bills when the Steelers had Pro Bowl quarterback Josh Allen on the run the entire game. Allen dropped back to pass 54 times and faced 30 cumulative pressures, according to Pro Football Focus.

Defensive tackle Cameron Heyward pressured Allen a team-high 12 times, one of which resulted in a sack. Watt got seven pressures, Ingram five and Highsmith two.

The numbers approximated the amount of playing time each of the three outside linebackers received. Watt, who had just three full practices of preparation after sitting out all team activities during training camp and the preseason, played 69 snaps, or 81% of the defensive plays. Ingram had 54 snaps and Highsmith 45.

“Everybody understands their role, and everybody understands how we are going to play,” Ingram said. “It’s not just us three, but everybody up front. We all are in a rotation, and we have a great rotation and all work well together. That’s the best part of it.”

Watt’s usage wasn’t much different than in his previous three seasons with the Steelers when he was on the field from 83-87% of all defensive plays.

“I felt great last week, but I knew I was going to have relatively fresh legs,” Watt said. “I felt good in the fourth quarter, and I’m sure that taking a couple of reps off — whereas last year at this time, we were playing 80-90 snaps a person for me and Bud — to be able to knock that down by just 10 reps obviously will be able to help in the long term, and I am sure we will see that pay off soon.”

Having Ingram on the roster affords the Steelers the chance to benefit from the 32-year-old’s pass-rushing knowledge and experience while also developing Highsmith after a rookie season in which he moved into the starting lineup in December when Dupree was lost to a season-ending injury.

“The biggest thing for Alex last year was playing,” Heyward said. “I know it didn’t happen organically because Bud got hurt, but getting Alex out there and getting him accustomed to start and bringing Melvin in, those guys can work on the fly.

“It’s like having a three-headed monster that really benefits us.”

Perhaps nobody is more appreciative of what Ingram brings to the rotation than the biggest component of that three-headed monster.

“It’s been awesome to just have a guy who’s a Pro Bowler and who is known for his pass rush, in the room,” Watt said. “He has a lot of great drills that he has taught me and just little things. Once you’re around the same group of guys for an extended amount of time, you kind of — I don’t want to say get lackadaisical — but you get used to what you are seeing.

“When you get a new guy in here, especially of his caliber, he can say, ‘Hey, you’re doing this with your hands, try something else.’ It’s really been a breath of fresh air to have him. He looks great, he’s a super competitive guy, and I have learned a lot from him in the short amount of time we’ve been together.”