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Alex Highsmith more likely Steelers trade candidate than Nick Herbig

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Pittsburgh's edge logjam puts one veteran close to exit

Alex Highsmith more likely Steelers trade candidate than Nick Herbig originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . Pittsburgh is approaching the draft with the kind of problem that many front offices wouldn't hesitate to trade a pick for.

They have three starting-quality edge rushers, T. J. Watt locked in on a $41 million-a-year extension, Alex Highsmith paid like a cornerstone, and Nick Herbig running hot behind the curtain.

Both Highsmith and Herbig are reportedly drawing calls from rival front offices, but per Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson, only one of them is really close to the door. The contract math and Jack Sawyer's rookie tape point the same way Highsmith, who turns 29 in August, still has two years remaining on the four-year, $68 million extension he signed back in 2023. He is owed $14.

5 million in 2026 and $15. 5 million in 2027, with cap hits above $20 million in both seasons. He led the Steelers with 9.