In the fourth quarter of Week 10 at the Pittsburgh Steelers Victory over the Washington Commanderspass rusher Alex Highsmith suffered a left ankle injury. While pressuring quarterback Jayden Daniels, Highsmith stepped on Daniels' foot, causing his ankle to twist awkwardly. He fell to the ground in pain and needed help getting out of the field. After the game, Highsmith was seen using crutcheswhich indicates the severity of the injury.
This setback follows Highsmith's previous three-game absence due to one Groin injury. In his absence, the Steelers plan to rely on Nick Herbig recently took over Preston Smith to fill the gap.
Update on Alex Highsmith's injury
There was a glimmer of hope that Highsmith would be back on the field this Sunday after participating in practice on Thursday and Friday, albeit in a limited capacity.
“We made Alex Highsmith decide to return,” Tomlin said in his commentary Press conference on Tuesday. “We will be guided by his participation and the quality of that participation in determining whether he rejoins or to what level he rejoins.”
Unfortunately, what Tomlin saw wasn't high enough quality, and Highsmith was expelled for the third time in a row.
How long will Alex Highsmith be out?
It seems Highsmith is getting closer and closer to playing. Barring a setback, we can expect him to be ready for Pittsburgh's Week 14 game against the Cleveland Browns at Acrisure Stadium.
Steelers outside linebacker depth chart
Pittsburgh struggled to contain Cleveland's Week 12 loss. Getting Highsmith back should be a tall order, but in the meantime, expect a healthy dose of Herbig and Smith.
