Steelers' Alex Highsmith Praises Mike Tomlin And The Competitive Environment In 2023 Training Camp

There has been nothing but great things coming out of training camp for the Pittsburgh Steelers, especially due to how competitive everything has been. As the cliché goes, iron sharpens iron, and the Steelers have been sharpening each other as much as possible all throughout camp. In a post-practice interview, Alex Highsmith sounded off on the competitive nature of Steelers camp. Just like with everything else that has come out of camp so far, Highsmith had nothing but positives to say about the experience. 

Highsmith's Thoughts On Steelers Training Camp

Highsmith was asked about one of his new backups: rookie edge rusher Nick Herbig. He spoke about his explosiveness off the ball and his great performance from their Week 1 preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Highsmith mentioned that "(Herbig's) got a motor" as well as the fact that his great performance was just a continuation of the excellent camp that he's had in his rookie year so far. That motor will hopefully continue into the regular season.

It definitely helps to be a great Steelers player when you are meant to be one, as Herbig believes. Even then, his college tape showed his insane motor and explosiveness on the edge. There's always questions on how a player's game in college will translate to the NFL. According to Highsmith, Herbig's game is translating very well. It doesn't matter if you're undersized; if you have what it takes to play your position, you can thrive at the NFL level. Herbig is figuring this out firsthand, and Highsmith sees it. 

Herbig isn't the only one that needs to keep working to improve at the NFL level. Despite receiving a large extension in the 2023 offseason, Highsmith is still making sure that he can get better. While Highsmith automatically gets a raise every year with the backloaded contract, he still has to earn those raises, especially if Herbig is able to develop quickly. He is making sure that he will also get better in camp and help be the force that he needs to be on the other side of line from TJ Watt.

Highsmith wouldn't outright say what he was looking to add to his repertoire, but there's that chance of him showcasing a new move for the regular season. What he did say was that he was looking to make his current repertoire as good as it can be. He specified that he wants to perfect his spin move. No matter what he perfects, or even adds, as long as he's managing to improve, he's having a very successful camp. 

There's a lot more competition in Pittsburgh than just a high-end edge rusher versus a rookie edge rusher. Everything is a competition, including Highsmith battling with Dan Moore and Broderick Jones at left tackle. Everything is competitive, and according to Highsmith, that comes from Mike Tomlin creating a very competitive environment for the team. Part of this was the "Seven Shots" drill, where the Steelers offense recently came back from a 3-1 deficit to win the whole thing 4-3. 

The Steelers are one of the few teams that still have a physical camp. Not many teams allow full-contact tackling like the Steelers do, and it helps create that intense environment. It also helps to see other players having friendly competition, like Herbig and Jones talking smack on the field and in their dorms, or Joey Porter Jr. taking no offense to being on the wrong end of many crazy plays from George Pickens. That level of competitiveness will help the Steelers keep rolling along smoothly.

What do you think of Highsmith's takeaways about Steelers' training camp in 2023? Let us know down in the comments.

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