A few days into training camp, Steelers outside linebackers Alex Highsmith and Melvin Ingram are tripping over themselves.
No, they aren’t clumsily colliding on their way to meet the quarterback. They’re just falling all over each other to compliment their counterpart — and their competition.
“It was awesome,” Highsmith said of the Steelers adding the accomplished Ingram to their pass rush. “So far, Melvin has been great for us here. He’s been a guy I’ve been able to ask questions and to learn from. He’s a veteran, Pro Bowl guy. All of us were excited when we brought him in.”
But wait, this was supposed to be a breakout year for Highsmith in his second season. Bud Dupre’s absence, T.J. Watt commanding double teams on the opposite side, and a full offseason of team drills figured to form the perfect storm for Highsmith to take off.
Now Ingram is here after 51 sacks in nine seasons with the Chargers. That’s 49 more than Highsmith has, but the 2020 third-round pick is saying all the right things about the new outside linebacker. And the feeling is mutual, as evidenced by how Ingram responded to a question of whether he and Watt can be the best tandem in the league.
“Can’t forget about 5-6, either,” Ingram noted.
All eyes might be on Ingram now, given his sterling track record, but that’s no knock on Highsmith. His coaches certainly haven’t forgotten about him, and if anything, he’s been a magnet for praise so far this summer.
Defensive coordinator Keith Butler still raves about Highsmith’s lone career interception, a Week 8 pick against Lamar Jackson and the Ravens that shifted the momentum of that game early in the third quarter. The Steelers rallied from a 17-7 halftime deficit to pull out a 28-24 win on the road, and Highsmith earned plenty of respect in the process.
“When we had him as a rookie, we’d tell him to do something one time, and he did it. He was very easy to coach,” Butler said. “He comes off the sideline, he doesn’t drop where he’s supposed to, so we tell him, ‘OK, look at this and drop where you’re supposed to.’ He does, and he picks the pass off. Real easy guy to coach, got a great attitude. I wish I had 11 like him.”
The Steelers have at least three they like at outside linebacker, which is always their goal. It might become a rotation, to some degree, but for now it’s Highsmith and Ingram operating as the starters while Watt gradually ramps up his participation in practice.
No matter who becomes the nominal starter, it’s a safe bet they’ve upgraded from the rookie version of Highsmith, or the likes of Anthony Chickillo and Ola Adeniyi before him. Asked if he feels like he’s in a camp battle, Highsmith kept it all business.
“I feel like I’m just going to go in every day and work my hardest to be the best I can be,” he said.
Clearly, Highsmith already has learned a lot from Watt. It takes a lot to make him laugh or crack a smile. But he did show a softer side in discussing the momentous offseason he had away from the field.
Highsmith got engaged to his college girlfriend in May, and less than two months later, Watt followed suit. Finally in position to be the one imparting some wisdom, Highsmith just let his teammate do his own thing.
“It’s funny, I remember the day he did [propose], me and my fiancée were just talking about him. I was like, ‘I wonder when they’ll get engaged?’ And it literally happened that day,” Highsmith said.
Those two aren’t spending much time bouncing wedding-planning ideas off each other, though. Right now, it’s all about ball.
“He definitely told me some stuff he did, how he works, how he takes care of his body,” Highsmith said. “He’s the best in the league at what he does.”
And if Highsmith makes a major leap, they could be the best duo — or trio — in the league, too.
