Prior to last season, the Steelers' ability to get to the quarterback had been unmatched by any NFL team for a half-decade. However, that took a significant step backward in 2022.
And no, T.J. Watt's pectoral injury wasn't the only reason.
In 2021, the Steelers' 55 sacks led the NFL and were four more than the second-place Vikings. In 2020, the Steelers' 56 sacks in 16 games led the NFL and were three more than the second-place Rams. The Steelers' 54 sacks led the NFL in 2019. In 2018, the Steelers and Chiefs tied with the most sacks in the league with 52. In 2017, the Steelers' 56 sacks led the NFL.
Think about that for a minute. It’s remarkable.
But last year, the Steelers managed just 40 sacks over their 17 games. Only 15 defenses had fewer.
Obviously, Watt’s injury didn’t help. He played 66 snaps in Week 1, but didn’t return to the field until Week 10, a game against New Orleans in which he was on the field for 37 plays. He wasn’t his usual dominant self when he returned from injury but was basically a full-time player for the remainder of the 2022 season. In total, he played 502 snaps, with 294 of those as pass rushing snaps.
Between 2017 and 2021, he averaged 840.4 snaps per season with an average of 431.4 pass-rushing snaps per year during that timeframe. And that includes his rookie season in which he was on the field for 750 snaps and rushed the quarterback just 296 times. He led the league in sacks in 2020-21, accumulating 37.5 sacks over those two seasons and earned Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2021.
Watt is a superstar. At this point, that goes without saying. His impact on the game is simply massive and the Steelers' defensive splits with him on and off the field are incredibly different in any metric you care to investigate.
While Watt only chipped in with 5.5 sacks last year, Alex Highsmith emerged -- often without Watt on the field demanding added attention from opposing blocking schemes. Highsmith racked up 14.5 sacks. Cam Heyward was second on the team with 10.5 sacks, and was as consistently great as ever. But, no one else on the Steelers defense had more than two.
Below is a reel of Highsmith’s 2022 highlights. A few things stand out with Highsmith as a pass-rusher. First, his "get off" is outstanding. He gets off the ball with great quickness and pad level. Highsmith plays with very good leverage overall. He also is a great hustle player that can get the quarterback on the ground late in the down. Highsmith uses multiple pass-rush moves to get to the quarterback and should only develop that repertoire even more going forward. His work with his hands has consistently improved since Highsmith’s rookie year. The Steelers should extend his contract before the season begins.
The trio of Watt, Highsmith and Heyward is better than what most teams have as cornerstone players on the defensive front. However, this league is becoming littered with dominant and freaky defensive linemen of all shapes and sizes. So, while this trio is fantastic, it is far from unique and many of the top pass-rushing defenses are getting more contributions from more than just their top three. Philadelphia is the epitome of this, having four defenders with 11 or more sacks last year and Fletcher Cox chipping in with seven of his own. It was the Eagles, the NFC’s Super Bowl representative, turn to lead the NFL with a whopping 70 sacks.
The Steelers don’t have to lead the NFL in quarterback sacks every year. That isn’t their God-given right. And, they certainly don’t have to lead the league for five straight seasons.
However, when you dig deeper, last year’s pass rush was a little more concerning than you might imagine on the surface. Defining a blitz as rushing five or more defenders, the Steelers' 31.5% blitz rate was the sixth highest in the league behind the Giants, Cardinals, Dolphins, Broncos and Packers. So, the Steelers were blitzing at a very high rate and manufacturing sacks at a very league-average rate. That isn’t great.
But, what's worse is that, if we investigate the percentage of time the Steelers' pass rush hurried enemy quarterbacks, knocked those quarterbacks to the ground and created pressures, it gets even more worrisome.
The Steelers created a hurry on 4.5% of their pass rush snaps. Only Atlanta and Washington were worse. The Steelers knocked the opposing quarterback to the ground on 7.4% of their pass rush snaps. Only seven defenses had a lower percentage. The Steelers created a pressure on 17.4% of their pass rush snap. Atlanta and Chicago were the only defenses with a lower percentage of pressures. And again, please don’t forget, the Steelers were a very heavy blitz team.
Getting Watt back ay full health will sure help. It will help massively. And, Highsmith’s showing in 2022 very much indicates that he should remain very productive. Heck, the best might even be yet to come for Highsmith. Heyward is showing no signs of slowing down, but he is 34 years old.
Where could more sack and overall pass-rush production come from? Larry Ogunjobi played though injuries for much of his first season in Pittsburgh, but he has a proven track record as an interior pass-rusher. Ogunjobi had 25 sacks over the previous four seasons before signing with the Steelers. He has been an above average interior pass-rusher during his career, but only recorded two sacks last season.
Here is what Ogunjobi has done over the course of his career. The Steelers need more of this from him in 2023:
Keeanu Benton is a developing pocket pusher, but rookies often struggle in this capacity. DeMarvin Leal is the perfect example of a player that could be primed for a big step in his second season. He flashed potential, especially late in the year. And, Leal should be only an interior pass rusher now instead of lining up outside at times as he did when Watt was injured.
As is the case with Benton, counting on Nick Herbig -- Benton's college teammate -- to come in and kickstart the Steelers pass rush during his rookie campaign is probably unwise. Enter Markus Golden, a player the Steelers would have killed to have on board last year while Watt was out. Golden is far from a superstar, but what he brings has been lacking and that is a consistent veteran edge presence that has recorded double-digit sacks on three different occasions as the Steelers' third option from the outside.
Also, expect the blitzing to keep up. It could even increase if the Steelers new stable of cornerbacks prove to be an obvious upgrade in man coverage from last year’s group. Bringing in big man-coverage cornerbacks sure implies that the Steelers plan on pressing receivers at the line of scrimmage. Meanwhile, the league is going to more zone coverage with two high safeties to take away explosive plays.
Patrick Peterson was once a man-to-man specialist that played a lot of zone last year in Minnesota. Investing in him to tutor Joey Porter Jr., who specializes in banging receivers around at the line of scrimmage, implies the Steelers' coverage schemes won’t trend with the way the league is going. Even seventh-round pick Cory Trice Jr. fits the man-heavy mold.
The Steelers were also near the top of the league with their usage of a single-high safety. That is why you pay Minkah Fitzpatrick, the NFL’s best single-high defender, the big bucks. Fitzpatrick’s immense centerfield presence also allows for more blitzing.
Contrary to popular belief, “Blitzburgh” wasn’t the way the Steelers played defense in 2021, when they were middle of the league in blitz percentage. 2020 was a different story, as only two teams blitzed at a higher percentage of the opposing drop backs.
There are a lot of different ways to negatively affect opposing quarterbacks and passing games. The Steelers are taking a risky approach, but an aggressive, tone-setting approach that could pay off huge, especially with Watt back in the fold. After all, getting back to becoming one of the league's best pass-rushing teams is getting back to basics, of sorts.
But, please don’t overlook something that went somewhat under the radar last year: This wasn’t a good pass-rushing defense in 2022, let alone one of the best in football.
