The Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t looking to move Alex Highsmith, and that’s the biggest obstacle in this whole idea.
With the Detroit Lions suddenly dealing with a major defensive hole after former first-round pick Terrion Arnold was charged with four counts of kidnapping and four counts of armed robbery, the conversation has turned to how they might patch things up. Arnold is out on a $1 million bail and awaiting trial, and the Lions have released him, leaving a clear void on that side of the ball.
One possible answer floated for Detroit is to chase help from Pittsburgh. The thought is simple enough: if the Lions can’t find an elite cornerback to fix the secondary directly, they could try to supercharge the pass rush instead. Adding someone like Highsmith alongside Aidan Hutchinson would be aimed at making life so difficult for quarterbacks that the secondary gets relief before the ball ever comes out.
It’s an understandable concept, especially with few elite cornerbacks available. But the Steelers have no interest in creating that opening.
Pittsburgh has four capable edge rushers and plans to use all four of them, the same way it did a year ago. Highsmith is also under contract for the next two seasons, and the Steelers could be preparing to give him a raise and another long-term deal in the offseason. From their perspective, there’s no reason to shop him.
That means any team calling about Highsmith would have to bring a serious offer. The starting point would likely be a second-round pick, and it could take more than that. There’s also the possibility Pittsburgh could squeeze even more value out of a package deal by adding another player, such as Asante Samuel Jr. or Brandin Echols, and asking for a higher return than it would get for that player alone.
One example raised was Highsmith and Samuel for second- and third-round picks from the Lions.
If Detroit gets desperate enough, maybe it moves. But the Steelers aren’t the ones pushing this along.
In Other News...
Steelers Fans Finally Got The Acrisure Update They Wanted
Acrisure Stadium is getting a long-awaited facelift, and this one goes beyond the usual offseason touch-up. The Pittsburgh Sports and Exhibition Authority has approved funding for about 18,000 new seats, with the work set to roll out in phases through 2027. Along with the seating project, the stadium is also slated for concrete repairs, part of a broader push to modernize a building that has drawn plenty of scrutiny in recent years.
The latest seat replacement phase covers the lower level on the east end of the stadium, and the full project is expected to wrap with a third and final phase in 2027. Precision Turf has already installed a new playing surface made of Tahoma 31 Bluegrass, replacing the previous Kentucky bluegrass field, so the Steelers are finally seeing action on both the stands and the field after a stretch of complaints about how the venue looked and played. [Read more 🡒]
Aaron Donald Just Entered A New Steelers Storyline
A new Steelers subplot surfaced this week when a video showed Aaron Donald working with Jaquan Brisker on pass-rush techniques. For Pittsburgh, it is the kind of offseason clip that instantly gets attention, especially with Brisker now in the building after signing a one-year deal following three seasons with the Bears.
Brisker gives the Steelers another physical, versatile piece in the secondary, and any extra work from a player with Donalds reputation only adds to the intrigue around his arrival. The bigger question hanging over the moment is what, if anything, it says about Donalds future, even as he has not said he plans to make a comeback. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Fans Just Got A Telling Sign About Drew Allar
For a rookie quarterback, the first real test often comes less in the huddle than in the vocabulary, and Drew Allar appears to be arriving in Pittsburgh with a head start. The Steelers passer said he is already comfortable with West Coast concepts, the kind of foundation that can make the transition to the league a little less overwhelming, and he has also spent time around the newer branches of that offense during his days at Penn State.
There is still plenty for Allar to absorb, but the early signs are encouraging for a team that is always looking for stability behind center. He also sounds eager to learn from Aaron Rodgers, a veteran whose own background in a similar system could make the pairing especially useful as Allar tries to get up to speed and carve out his place in the Steelers quarterback room. [Read more 🡒]