Alex Highsmith injury update: Steelers update status of ailing linebacker Sunday

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith is doubtful to return to Sunday’s game vs. the Seattle Seahawks after suffering an ankle injury in the first half, according to the team. Highsmith was limited in practice this week but is coming off a strong Week 1 performance with eight tackles last week vs. the Jets.

The 28-year-old Highsmith is in the midst of his sixth NFL season, all with Pittsburgh, and has established himself as an elite tackler throughout his first five years with 284 career total tackles including Week 1 of this current season. Highsmith was drafted by the Steelers in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Charlotte and has been a key defensive starter throughout much of his career to this point.

Highsmith isn’t the only Steelers starter out for Sunday’s game vs. the Seahawks, joining fellow insider linebacker Patrick Queen (rib), cornerback Joey Porter Jr., safety DeShon Elliott and rookie defensive tackle Derrick Harmon, the later three of whom were ruled out before the game.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin revealed Pittsburgh would be thin on defense after ruling out Elliott, Porter Jr., and Harmon earlier in the week. In Porter’s case, it’s a hamstring issue that he suffered against the Jets in Week 1.

In response, the Steelers recently signed safety Jabril Peppers. The hope is he can hit the ground running after his time with the New England Patriots came to a bit of a surprising end. A veteran in the NFL, he’s new to Pittsburgh but should be well equipped to fill in for the time being.

Ben Roethlisberger concerned about Steelers offensive line, calls Broderick Jones a ‘turnstile’

The Pittsburgh Steelers got off to a 1-0 start to the 2025 season after picking up a 34-32 Week 1 road win over the New York Jets Sunday. It wasn’t all perfect, however, and former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger came away concerned about the offensive line, more specifically, left tackle Broderick Jones.

Aaron Rodgers, making his team debut under center, was sacked four times. Three of those sacks were allowed by Jones, according to Pro Football Focus. From what Roethlisberger observed, Jones looked like a “turnstile” against the Jets.

“What’s going on, on the O-line has to be like pulling hair out because you’re running for 53 yards, and you’ve given up four sacks,” Roethlisberger said on his Footbahlin podcast. “And with all due respect, Broderick Jones looks like a turnstile. I mean, it was bad. I don’t know how many of the sacks were on him, but it felt like there was a lot of pressure coming from that left side.”

Jones was ineffective as a pass blocker, and a run blocker. PFF gave him an overall grade of 54.5, 50th among 65 offensive tackles in Week 1. Beyond the sacks allowed, Pittsburgh’s offensive line struggled to create holes for the ground game. The Steelers rushed for just 53 yards on 20 carries.

— On3’s Nick Geddes contributed to this report.