National Football League

Steelers LB Alex Highsmith: 'We can be the best defense in the NFL'

Published Jun. 16, 2023 5:09 p.m. ET

Alex Highsmith is a breakout star for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the fourth-year linebacker believes they can do something special on that side of the ball in 2023.

"I know 100 percent we can be the best defense in the NFL, especially if we all stay healthy," Highsmith told the Steelers' team website on Thursday. "I am excited about the guys that we have. We have depth at almost every position. It's been good seeing guys come together and get better and better every day. The sky is the limit for us. I am excited to see how we continue to grow."

Highsmith racked up 14.5 sacks, 63.0 combined tackles and an NFL-best five forced fumbles last season. As a whole, though, the Steelers surrendered 222.3 passing yards (19th in NFL), 108.1 rushing yards (ninth), 330.4 total yards (13th) and 20.4 points (10th) per game in 2022.

"Last year we started playing our best ball at the end of the year," Highsmith said. "If we can build on that, we can be the best."

The Steelers do have the makings of a strong defense, featuring the likes of linebacker T.J. Watt, defensive backs Minkah Fitzpatrick and Levi Wallace and defensive linemen Cameron Heyward and Larry Ogunjobi, among others. And Pittsburgh selected Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (No. 32) and Wisconsin defensive tackle Keeanu Benton (No. 49) on Day 2 of the 2023 NFL Draft.

The Steelers missed the playoffs last season, but they won six of their last seven games to finish 9-8. Rookie Kenny Pickett became the team's primary quarterback as the season developed.

On Friday's edition of "The Herd," host Colin Cowherd predicted that the Steelers will be a playoff team in 2023, in part because their defense held opponents to no more than 17 points in each of the last seven games in 2022.

Cowherd: Why Steelers, not Ravens, will be a playoff team in 2023

The Steelers selected Highsmith with the No. 102 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Charlotte. He has started all but one game over the past two seasons and has missed just one game in his three-year NFL career.

FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience