Veteran edge rusher Alex Highsmith has struggled to stay healthy this season. Highsmith could miss Week 12 because of a pectoral injury. But if he does, the Pittsburgh Steelers could still deploy their same defensive game plan in part because of rookie Jack Sawyer.
Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin shared Thursday with reporters how much confidence the team has in Sawyer.
“He has grown. Jack has grown. We like Jack. He allows us to do some things,” Austin told the media. “Alex is down right now, so we’re not out of a package. What constitutes limits? I think the game constitutes how much we use it or not.
“It’s all game-driven, how we’re doing it. How we’re doing in that particular package is how much we’ll use it.”
Sawyer has played a lot on special teams this season. He has also lined up for at least 25% of Pittsburgh’s defensive snaps twice in the past three weeks.
It’s the first time this year Sawyer has played that high of a percentage of the team’s defensive snaps in a three-week span.
Sawyer has posted 18 combined tackles, including two tackles for loss. He also has four quarterback hits, three pass defenses, one sack and one interception in 10 games.
Steelers’ Teryl Austin Speaks Highly of Rookie Jack Sawyer
If Highsmith can’t play Sunday against the Chicago Bears, the Steelers have Nick Herbig ready to replace him. Herbig actually leads the Steelers with 6.5 sacks.
Herbig has also played more snaps than Highsmith this season.
But Highsmith, Herbig and T.J. Watt have all played at least 60% of Pittsburgh’s defensive snaps during the games in which they’ve been active this year. There have been plenty of instances where all three edge rushers have been on the field.
So the No. 4 edge rusher becomes quite important for the Steelers if one of their top three at the position is sidelined.
Sawyer will be the third edge rusher for Austin’s defense if Highsmith doesn’t dress in Chicago. Sawyer would also be responsible for giving Watt and Herbig a breather throughout the game.
With more playing time recently, Sawyer has posted three combined tackles, one pass defense and an interception in the last three games.
Steelers Will Try to Turn the Tide in Chicago
The Steelers knocked off the Bears 29-27 the last time the two teams met in 2021. But Chicago won the previous three matchups in the series.
The two teams don’t play often, but the Bears are one organization that has done very well versus the Steelers in history. Chicago leads the all-time series 19-8-1. The Steelers own a putrid 1-12 record in Chicago.
Pittsburgh’s only win at Chicago came in overtime during November 1995.
Again, the Steelers don’t visit the Bears often. They have played in Chicago only seven times in the Super Bowl era.
But in the small sample, the Bears have dominated. The Bears won the last matchup in Chicago 23-17 victory during 2017. The Steelers would go on to only lose three games during that season.
If Highsmith doesn’t play, Sawyer could have a significant a role in the Steelers trying to reverse their fortunes in Chicago.
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