The Pittsburgh Steelers enter draft week juggling three major storylines. General manager Omar Khan is pushing back on trade chatter surrounding edge rusher Alex Highsmith. NBC is preparing for the 2026 season with former head coach Mike Tomlin. Meanwhile, the league has trimmed the first-round clock from 10 minutes to eight, and the change is already reshaping how Pittsburgh and its peers prepare.
Highsmith’s name surfaced in offseason trade discussions as the Steelers arrived at the draft with 12 selections and a deep, expensive front seven. Fellow outside linebacker Nick Herbig has drawn similar chatter. Patrick Queen, an inside linebacker, has become a candidate driven by cap considerations. The discussions indicate that the roster is at a critical juncture, rather than indicating a desire to part with established talent.
Internally, the Steelers appear firmly against moving Highsmith. Pittsburgh insider Mark Kaboly dismissed the trade rumors as unfounded. He described Highsmith as a foundational defender the front office views as a long-term fixture. That stance aligns with the franchise’s history. The Steelers typically retain their premier pass rushers rather than dealing them for future capital.
On the field, Highsmith is the type of player that contenders protect. The former third-round pick out of Charlotte posted 14.5 sacks in 2022. He then led the Steelers with 9.5 sacks in 2025, even after ankle and pectoral injuries cost him time. He also added 50 tackles and three passes defensed. Pittsburgh has a disruptive edge defender who holds up on all three downs.
His skill set complements All-Pro T.J. Watt. Watt’s 2025 production dipped amid consistent double-teams and a late-season lung injury. Herbig is emerging on a cost-controlled rookie deal. Together, the trio gives the Steelers one of the league’s deepest edge rotations entering 2026. The roster squeeze arrives in 2027, when Herbig is due for a new contract. Pittsburgh must then decide how much cap space it can dedicate to the position.
For now, the math favors continuity. Highsmith is under contract for two more seasons. That provides the Steelers time to evaluate the trio before committing to a long-term hierarchy. Moving him before 2026 would thin a unit the defense relies on. A clearer decision window should open after another year of performance and health data on Watt, Highsmith, and Herbig.
The coaching picture, meanwhile, looks very different than it has in nearly two decades. Tomlin stepped away from the sideline this offseason after 19 years and a Super Bowl title in Pittsburgh. He will join NBC as a studio analyst on “Football Night in America.” He will fill the role Tony Dungy previously held on the network’s pregame show for Sunday night.
Tomlin reportedly fielded interest from other networks, including FOX. NFL teams also gauged his appetite for a quick return to coaching. He opted for television, echoing the path Bill Cowher took when he left Pittsburgh for a CBS studio seat. At 53, Tomlin joins a lineage of Super Bowl-winning coaches who have used the broadcast booth as either a destination or a waypoint back to the sideline. That group includes Bill Parcells, Jon Gruden, Sean Payton, Dick Vermeil, and Bruce Arians.
A future return to coaching remains a possibility. The Steelers retain Tomlin’s rights through a 2027 contract option. Any team hiring him before it expires would owe Pittsburgh compensation, similar to past arrangements involving Parcells and Payton. For the 2026 season, his attention shifts from game-planning to breaking down prime-time matchups.
Khan must also adjust to the NFL’s revised draft format. Beginning with the 2026 draft, the first-round clock drops from 10 minutes to eight. The league hopes to tighten the telecast for viewers. Rounds 2 through 7 remain unchanged, with seven minutes for Round 2, five minutes for Rounds 3 through 6 and four minutes in Round 7. Teams that exhaust the clock can still submit a pick but risk losing their target.
Khan acknowledged this week that he would prefer the longer window. He accepted that the rule applies uniformly across the league. He noted that even eight minutes can feel long when a franchise-altering decision is on the table. The compressed timeline has pushed front offices to establish trade parameters before the draft. Teams now pre-negotiate the price of moving up or down from specific slots so deals can close quickly once they go on the clock.
The shortened clock should influence activity throughout Round 1. Most projections peg the Las Vegas Raiders to open the draft with Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza at No. 1. The New York Jets are anticipated to select Ohio State defender Arvell Reese at No. 2. The Arizona Cardinals at No. 3 loom as a potential pivot point. They could hold the pick or move it to a quarterback-needy suitor if an offer materializes in time.
The Dallas Cowboys also profile as a team willing to engage in major deals. Owner Jerry Jones has a long history of aggressive draft-night maneuvering. For Pittsburgh, a deep pick inventory and a stable defensive core built around Watt and Highsmith let the franchise strike from a position of strength. Based on Khan’s public comments and the organization’s stated confidence in Highsmith, the Steelers’ most impactful move this weekend will likely come on the draft card rather than the trade wire.
