Steelers are playing with a decided lack of ego. It's helped pave the way for their 4-1 start

Audio By Carbonatix

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers paid outside linebacker Alex Highsmith in 2023 to be one of the best players at his position in the league.

They did the same on the eve of the following season when they signed tight end Pat Freiermuth t o a lucrative contract extension.

Yet here the two established veterans are well into 2025, sharing playing time with younger, lower-profile teammates either because of injury (Highsmith) or circumstance (Freiermuth) and the emergence of the guys below them on the depth chart (both).

Nick Herbig stepped in while Highsmith dealt with an ankle injury and showed signs of blossoming into a game-wrecking star like his mentor, T.J. Watt. Freiermuth led the Steelers in receptions in 2024 but now finds himself in a crowded tight ends room that includes Jonnu Smith and mountainous Darnell Washington, who at 6-foot-8 and well above his listed weight of 265 pounds, is a matchup nightmare.

Standing in the corner of a business-like Steelers locker room following a 23-9 victory over Cleveland on Sunday that pushed Pittsburgh's record to 4-1, Freiermuth just shrugged when asked about his lack of production relative to his salary.

The game plan evolves weekly. Lately, that's meant more snaps for Washington, who serves as a sixth offensive lineman when he's not out running routes. Sometime down the road, Freiermuth knows he'll get an opportunity to reprise his role as the reliably sure-handed zone buster.

So rather than pout about wanting the ball, Freiermuth smiled while talking about Washington hauling in three passes for a career-high 62 yards, including an entertaining 36-yard catch and rumble on Pittsburgh's first drive.

“He balled out and we won,” Freiermuth said. “And that’s the name of the game. So anytime we can put together offensive performances like that and win the game, there’s nothing to be complaining about.”

It's much the same for Highsmith, who played 47 snaps (to 50 for Herbig and 49 for Watt) in his return from an ankle injury that forced him to miss 2 1/2 games.

Their selfless approach is reflective of a team that has quietly and responsibly navigated the first third(ish) of the season without an ounce of drama, somewhat uncommon for a club that has seen its share of diva-ish behavior through the years (see Pickens, George and Brown, Antonio and Harrison, James, among others).

While Highsmith and Freiermuth have taken a step back, safety Jalen Ramsey nearly doubled his career sack total by dropping Cleveland's Dillon Gabriel twice despite being severely limited in practice with a hamstring injury. It didn't stop Ramsey from being the physically dominant force the Steelers envisioned when they traded for him in June.

What stands out to Ramsey's teammates, however, isn't what he did when the lights were turned on, but what he did behind the scenes to make it out there in the first place.

“I think some guys are scared to go out there and play (when they're hurt), but for Jalen to go out there with everything he’s accomplished in this league, I just can’t say enough about the level of respect I have for him,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said, later adding, “If there was any question about the type of person that he is — take away the incredible player — but the person and teammate, I think he just showed all of us the kind of guy that he is by going out there and playing today.”

Finding the right practice squad guys to turn to during a given week. Wide receiver Ke'Shawn Williams took advantage of the active roster spot that opened up because of Calvin Austin III's injury by providing some explosion in the kick return game. Williams had 80 yards combined on returns against Cleveland, a number that would have been higher if a 47-yard punt return in the second quarter was wiped out by a questionable blindside block penalty against Jabrill Peppers.

Not much, though the Steelers will need to tighten up the details after being flagged 10 times for 59 yards, six of which produced first downs for the Browns. Watt, who tries to get as close to the neutral zone as possible at the snap, was twice penalized for being offside, one of which wiped out a fumble recovery by Peppers.

Tight end Connor Heyward has spent most of his four seasons trying to prove that he's more than longtime defensive captain Cam Heyward's little brother.

While he's done enough to win over the coaching staff, he knows the doubters remain. Yet all he does when given an opportunity is find a way to produce, whether it's converting the first “tush push” of his career as he did against Minnesota last month or making a diving 12-yard touchdown reception in which he broke off a route and shifted back to the left after a nod from Rodgers.

The turf at Acrisure Stadium typically becomes a chewed-up mess late in the season, leading the section between the hashmarks to be resodded as the early stages of winter start to creep in. This year, its troubles seem to have arrived ahead of schedule.

Rodgers criticized the field's shoddy state after special teams ace Miles Killebrew left with a knee injury and kicker Chris Boswell slipped on a late field-goal attempt well within his range, calling it “borderline unplayable.”

Austin's achy right shoulder could force him to miss a second straight game. Killebrew is out with a knee injury.

9-0: Pittsburgh's record following a bye week since 2017, the second-longest active post-bye winning streak in the league.

Try to avoid a letdown game when they travel to Cincinnati to face the reeling Bengals (2-4) on Thursday night.

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl