Steelers' Alex Highsmith: Injures ankle in Week 10 win
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Highsmith injured his left ankle late in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 28-27 win over the Commanders, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.
Highsmith was spotted on crutches following Sunday's win after suffering an ankle injury, per Nick Farabaugh of PennLive.com. Highsmith will undergo further testing on his ankle, though it looks like he is in serious jeopardy of missing the Steelers' Week 11 contest against the Ravens. If that were to be the case, Nick Herbig or the newly acquired Preston Smith would get the start at outside linebacker opposite T.J. Watt.
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Steelers' Alex Highsmith: Good to go for Week 7
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Highsmith (groin) was a full participant in practice Thursday.
Highsmith has missed the Steelers' last three games due to a groin injury. He returned to practice Wednesday as a limited participant, but he was able to practice without restrictions Thursday. Barring any setbacks, Highsmith should reclaim his starting edge-rush role opposite T.J. Watt for Sunday's contest against the Jets.
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Steelers' Alex Highsmith: Ruled out for Week 6
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Coach Mike Tomlin said Highsmith (groin) will not play in Sunday's Week 6 game against the Raiders, Missi Matthews of the Steelers' official site reports.
Highsmith will miss his third consecutive game, and with Nick Herbig (hamstring) injured in Week 5 and now ruled out against the Raiders, the Steelers are scraping for edge depth. Jeremiah Moon is next up in line opposite T.J. Watt.
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Steelers' Alex Highsmith: Unlikely for Week 5
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The Steelers are eyeing an Oct. 20 return for Highsmith (groin), Mark Kaboly of The Athletic reports.
Highsmith has been sidelined since Week 3 when he suffered the injury against the Chargers and has already been ruled out for this Sunday against the Cowboys. The targeted return date would also have the Charlotte product missing Week 6 against the Raiders and returning in Week 7 against the Jets.
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Steelers' Alex Highsmith: Remains out
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Highsmith (groin) will not play Sunday against the Cowboys, Dale Lolley of the Steelers' official site reports.
Highsmith suffered the injury in Week 3 against the Chargers and was expected to miss multiple weeks. So his absence Week 4, and now in Week 5, isn't entirely unexpected. Nick Herbig should continue taking on a larger role when the Steelers travel to Dallas on Sunday.
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Steelers' Alex Highsmith: Out for at least Week 4
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Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday that Highsmith (groin) is ruled out for Sunday's game against the Colts, Dale Lolley of the Steelers' official site reports.
Highsmith was forced out early during Pittsburgh's win over the Chargers in Week 3 due to a groin injury. Though Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com relays that Highsmith isn't expected to require surgery, the edge rusher's absence will likely span multiple weeks. Nick Herbig should be in line for a starting role opposite T.J. Watt until Highsmith is able to get back on the field.
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Steelers' Alex Highsmith: Won't return Sunday
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Highsmith (groin) won't return to Pittsburgh's game versus the Chargers on Sunday, Alan Saunders of SteelersNow.com reports.
Highsmith sustained a hip injury early in Sunday's game and will now miss the remainder of the game. Nick Herbig will likely see an expanded role in Highsmith's absence.
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Steelers' Alex Highsmith: Sacks Nix in Week 2
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Highsmith recorded four solo tackles, including 1.0 sacks, during Sunday's 13-6 win over the Broncos.
Highsmith recorded his first sack of the year Sunday. He got to Bo Nix for a seven-yard loss late in the first quarter, which forced the Broncos to punt and eventually led to a five-yard touchdown pass from Justin Fields to Darnell Washington. Highsmith registered a career-high 14.5 sacks in 2022, but he has accrued 8.0 sacks over the 19 regular-season games since. He'll look to add to that total in Week 3 against Justin Herbert and the Chargers.
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Steelers' Alex Highsmith: Racks up seven sacks in 2023
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Highsmith tallied 57 tackles (34 solo), including 7.0 sacks, along with two interceptions, three pass defenses, two forced fumbles and a touchdown over 17 games during the 2023 season.
Highsmith recorded a career-high 14.5 sacks in 2022 and was unable to come close to that mark in 2023, but he still put together a decent stat line during his fourth professional season. The 26-year-old had some inconsistent performances but was on the field for 80 percent of the team's defensive snaps. He signed a four-year, $68 million contract extension with Pittsburgh ahead of the 2023 campaign, so he should continue to play a prominent role on the team's defense next year.
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Steelers' Alex Highsmith: Cleared for Saturday
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The Steelers announced Thursday that Highsmith has cleared concussion protocol and won't have an injury designation for Saturday's game against the Colts.
Highsmith had initially been listed as questionable upon the release of the Steelers' final Week 15 injury report, but after turning in a full practice Thursday, the linebacker passed the final phase of the concussion protocol by gaining clearance from an independent neurologist. The Steelers will thus have both of their starting edge rushers available for Saturday, as T.J. Watt cleared concussion protocol Wednesday.
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Steelers' Alex Highsmith: Limited in practice
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Highsmith (concussion) was a limited participant in Tuesday's practice, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.
Highsmith left Thursday's 21-18 loss to the Patriots with what was reported to be a neck injury, though he entered the league's concussion protocols the next day. He'll have to pass the NFL's five-step protocol -- which includes an evaluation from an independent neurologist -- in order to be available for Saturday's game against the Colts. Highsmith has 49 tackles (27 solo), including six sacks, one interception, two forced fumbles and a defensive touchdown in 13 games this season.
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Steelers' Alex Highsmith: In concussion protocol
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Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports Friday that Highsmith has entered the NFL's concussion protocol following Thursday's 21-18 loss to the Patriots.
Highsmith sustained what was reported as a neck injury in the first half of Thursday's loss and did not return. The good news for Highsmith and the Steelers is that he has over a week to clear the NFL's five-step concussion protocol and be ready to play in Week 15 against the Colts.
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Steelers' Alex Highsmith: Questionable to return
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Highsmith left Thursday night's game against the Patriots with a neck injury and is questionable to return, Alan Saunders of SteelersNow.com reports.
The linebacker walked off the field on his own and entered the medical tent, per Mike DeFabo of The Athletic. Highsmith made two tackles before exiting. The fourth-year pro has 49 tackles, including six sacks, two passes defensed, an interception and two forced fumbles in 2023.
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Steelers' Alex Highsmith: Pair of sacks in win
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Highsmith recorded four tackles and two sacks in Thursday's 20-16 win over the Titans.
Highsmith entered the game with only 2.5 sacks across his first seven games of the campaign. He nearly doubled that mark in Thursday's contest, as he took down Will Levis twice for a combined minus-10 yards. Highsmith will look to use this contest as momentum to get to the quarterback more consistently across the second half of the season. The Steelers meet the Packers in Week 10.
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Steelers' Alex Highsmith: Will play Sunday
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Highsmith (groin) is active Sunday against the Ravens, Mike DeFabo of The Athletic reports.
Highsmith closed out the week with back-to-back limited practices and was expected to play. His ability to take the field Sunday against Baltimore should be good news for the Steelers defense.
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Steelers' Alex Highsmith: Likely to play
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Highsmith (groin) should play Sunday against the Ravens despite his questionable tag, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
The linebacker missed practice Thursday and was listed as questionable Friday. Highsmith was a limited participant in practice Friday. The fourth-year pro has 17 tackles, seven quarterback hits, one sack, one pass defensed, one interception and one forced fumble in four starts this season.
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Steelers' Alex Highsmith: Productive in win
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Highsmith tallied seven tackles (five solo), a sack, a forced fumble and returned an interception 30 yards for a touchdown Monday in the Steelers' 26-22 win over the Browns.
Highsmith racked up seven tackles for a second consecutive week, and he also forced two turnovers during Monday's primetime win, including a strip sack in the fourth quarter that resulted in the go-ahead touchdown on T.J. Watt's scoop and score. The edge rusher saw a slight decline in tackles last season while also recording a career-high 14.5 sacks, and he's remained a productive member of Pittsburgh's defensive unit early in 2023.
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Steelers' Alex Highsmith: Tallies seven tackles
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Highsmith logged seven tackles (four solo), including one for a loss, during the Steelers' 30-7 loss to the 49ers on Sunday.
Highsmith landed a four-year contract extension with the Steelers in July, and he performed well in his 2023 debut. The team's defense struggled to contain the 49ers' offense as a whole, but Highsmith tied for second on the team in tackles. He appeared in all 17 games last year and racked up 63 tackles (38 solo), including 14.5 sacks, along with five forced fumbles and a pass defense.
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Steelers' Alex Highsmith: Notches 10th sack of 2022
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Highsmith recorded six tackles (four solo), including one sack, and forced a fumble in Monday's 24-17 win against the Colts.
Highsmith increased his sack total to 10 by bringing down veteran signal-caller Matt Ryan for a seven-yard loss in the fourth quarter. The linebacker also caused Ryan to lose the ball before going down, though this fumble was recovered by offensive lineman Will Fries. Highsmith has now accumulated 3.5 sacks since fellow outside linebacker T.J. Watt, who spent seven games on IR with separate knee and pectoral injuries, returned to the field Week 10. These two should continue to form one of the league's most disruptive pass-rushing duos moving forward this season.
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Steelers' Alex Highsmith: Slated for increased role
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Highsmith will take on an increased role in the Steelers' defense after T.J. Watt (pectoral) was placed on injured reserve Thursday, Brooke Pryor of ESPN reports.
Highsmith performed well during Pittsburgh's season-opening win over the Bengals, racking up nine tackles (six solo), including three sacks, and a forced fumble. He was on the field for 83 percent of the team's defensive snaps and should have the chance to continue making an impact among the Steelers' linebackers since Watt will be unavailable for at least four weeks.
