An Overview of the Pittsburgh Steelers Defense
When assessing the success of a Pittsburgh defense, we have to use a different measuring stick. It doesn't matter that last year's team allowed a lot of passing yards and a middle-of-the-pack completion percentage. It doesn't matter that they were mediocre versus the run in terms of yards and yards per carry. A successful Steelers defense wins by creating pressure and forcing mistakes. By that standard, last year's defense was outstanding. They were 17th in scoring, but their 48 sacks ranked sixth, and only three teams forced more turnovers.
The only significant personnel changes among the players come in the secondary, where the team upgraded at free safety by signing Jaquan Brisker and bolstered the corner position with Jamel Dean. Getting strong safety DeShon Elliott back from injury is a plus as well. The team didn't lose any important pieces in the front seven, so there was no need for a big capital investment there.
The most impactful change is in the coaching staff, where Mike McCarthy takes over for Mike Tomlinson as head coach, and Patrick Graham was hired to run the defense. With minor variation, the Steelers' 3-4 zone blitz has been their identity since the scheme was developed by Dick LeBeau decades ago. The attacking pressure approach will remain under Graham, but the Xs and Os will look a little different.
Rule changes and the evolution of the game have led NFL defenses to rely more heavily on nickel personnel these days. Pittsburgh will continue to use the 3-4 as their base look, but Graham intends to deploy more 4-2-5 personnel with two down linemen and two edge defenders on the line, a pair of inside linebackers, and a nickel look in the secondary. We can continue to count on the Steelers' defense to be about pressure and forcing mistakes; they will just approach the task a little differently.
Pittsburgh Steelers Defensive Linemen
The difference under Graham will be most noticeable among the interior linemen, specifically at the nose tackle position. Keeanu Benton logged 723 snaps there in 2025. That number could drop considerably. With 52 tackles and 5.5 sacks, Benton had some value in leagues starting two tackles. Unless he gets some snaps at the outside tackle positions, he may not see much more than 500 plays this year.
Cameron Heyward has been a mainstay on the Steelers' line and a perennial top 12 fantasy option for 15 years. The 37-year-old is expected to retire after one more hurrah. At age 36, he was still getting it done at a high level. Heyward's 77 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and a forced fumble landed him at number two behind only Jeffrey Simmons last year.
We should not expect the scheme to have much of an effect on Heyward. He has seen it all during his time in the league. From playing nose tackle for several years to working from three- and five-technique alignments in 3-4 and nickel personnel, he has been a three-down contributor throughout his career, with production that has remained strong and consistent. As for the possibility of decline in his potentially final season, the chances are slim. Some of Heyward's best seasons have come after the age of 32, and last year's numbers were no exception.
With the selection of Derrick Harmon in round one last year, the Steelers have prepared for life after Heyward. Meanwhile, they get to have both of these guys for this year. In many ways, Harmon is a clone of Heyward. He is slightly bigger, at six feet four, 313 pounds, with the versatility to play anywhere along the defensive line. Harmon is known for his strength, quickness off the ball, and ability to disrupt plays in both the run and pass game.
There are not many players at the tackle position with the ability to put up 60+ tackles and 6 or more sacks year in and year out. From the stat-friendly scheme to his skill set and college production, Harmon could be one of them. His college career started at Michigan State, where he played two seasons, starting some games while participating in 24. Harmon totaled 70 tackles. 3.5 sacks and a couple of turnovers with the Spartans. He transferred to Oregon in 2024, where he was 27-18-5 with 2 forced fumbles, 2 recoveries, and 4 batted passes.
Harmon's rookie campaign was sidetracked by an MCL sprain late in the preseason and another minor injury that cost him time later in the year. He missed five games in all and played at less than 100% in a few more. At the end of the regular season, he had produced 27 tackles and 3 sacks on 454 snaps. The soon-to-be 23-year-old is still physically growing into his body and has not yet scratched the surface of his potential. If he remains healthy, I predict a breakout in year two.
Past Steelers teams have not used a wide rotation along the defensive line. Between the new coaching staff, Heyward being 37, the expected reduction in the use of a nose tackle, the addition of Sebastian Joseph-Day, and the fact that they have five starter-quality players available, we might see more guys involved than in the past. That could take a bite out of Heyward and Harmon's numbers.
The signing of Joseph-Day muddies the water. It is unclear where he fits. Joseph-Day is a good player with plenty of starting experience. He is capable of playing any down position in a 4-3 or 3-4 and has been a three-down contributor for previous teams. This, more than anything, could be a bad sign for someone's playing time.
With T.J. Watt, Alex Smith, Nate Herbig, and Jack Sawyer as their top four, there may not be a better or deeper group than what the Steelers have assembled at the edge position. Between them, they accounted for 25 sacks last year. The organization has a lot invested in the position, including a juicy new contract recently signed by Herbig that keeps him with the team through 2030. In fact, all four players are under contract through the 2027 season.
There is good fantasy value to mine out of this group, but it is not as risk-free as it once was. In 2025, Watt logged 821 snaps despite missing three games. Despite missing four games, Alex Highsmith played 634. Nick Herbig saw 610, missing two games, and Sawyer saw 294, despite being a rookie. It was fairly cut-and-dried last year. Watt and Smith were the starters, Herbig was the relief man, and Sawyer was in learning mode, picking up the leftovers. Will the new coaching regime approach it the same way, or will they go the keep everyone fresh and involved route?
We will have to wait to answer that question; here is what we do know. Watt was the most productive of the group last season. His points-per-game average ranked 7th. Highsmith ranked 12th, and Herbig, the third man, was 31st, ahead of about half the league's starters.
Soon to be 32, Watt remains an elite player, though he is not as dominant as he once was. Watt had at least 14 sacks in five of six seasons from 2018 to 2023. If not for an injury in 2022, it would probably have been six for six. He had a good 2024, with 61 tackles, 11 sacks, and 8 turnovers, but it seemed like he was always playing through something and not at 100%. It was more of the same in 2025. This time, it had a bigger effect on his numbers. Watt missed three games late in the year, but did not look the same in others. He is a great player when healthy, but he's played a lot of snaps over nine seasons and is high-mileage.
If we take the stats that Highsmith recorded in his 13 games and average them over a full season, he would have been the number three edge in 2025. It was a good year, but not his best. That came in 2022 when Watt was injured. With 62 combined tackles, 14 sacks, and 5 forced fumbles, Highsmith made the top ten for the first time. He has at least 6 sacks in every season since 2021, can be counted on for 50+ tackles, and averages about 3 turnovers a season. His numbers usually fall a little short of Watt's, but Highsmith will come a lot cheaper on draft day.
Herbig signed a deal that pays starter money, so he will get a fair share of opportunities, even when everyone is healthy. With Watt possibly showing signs of wear and tear and Highsmith not exactly having a spotless medical record, Herbig is worth rostering as depth. Even as the third man, he's as good a bye-week cover as you will find. If either of the starters goes down, Herbig becomes an every-week start.
Sawyer may not have been in the team's plans entering last year's draft. When the Ohio State standout was staring at them in the fourth round, how could they pass? Many teams had a high second-round grade on him, and there was speculation that the Bengals would take him in the first.
Sawyer is not a twitchy speed rusher, but rather a power guy with a relentless motor. He excels at getting off blocks and making plays in the run game, while using solid technique and tenacity to win as a rusher. Sawyer got on the field often in all four of his seasons with the Buckeyes, working as a starter the last two. His totals from 2023 and 2024 were 107 tackles, 15.5 sacks, 7 turnovers, 7 batted passes, and a score.
Sawyer didn't get on the field a lot as a rookie. When the opportunities came, he looked like he belonged. It is almost a given that he will see more work in year two. The question is, will it be enough to impact the other three guys? With the new coaching staff, we are flying blind on that one for now.
- Edge T.J. Watt – Elite ED1 when healthy
- Edge Alex Highsmith – Solid ED1 with elite potential
- Edge Nick Herbig – Future star, pick him up as an ED3
- Edge Jack Sawyer – Injury/dynasty sleeper with big potential if he can find a role
- DT Cameron Heyward – Excellent DT1 for one more season
- DT Derrick Harmon – High potential in year two
- DT Sebastian Joseph-Day – Uncertain role
- DT Gabriel Rubio – Developmental rookie
- NT Keeanu Benton – May have a reduced or altered role
- NT Yahya Black – Good player at a crowded position