This is the fourth in a series reviewing the Steelers' 2024 lineup by position. Today: Linebackers
Linebackers: T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Patrick Queen, Elandon Roberts, Payton Wilson, Nick Herbig, Preston Smith, Jeremiah Moon, Mark Robinson, Tyler Matakevich, Cole Holcomb
The Steelers linebacker group might be the best in the league across the board when the starters and depth are taken into consideration. And there's a nice mix of veteran and young players.
As a group, this unit produced 27 sacks, 47 tackles for a loss, 17 forced fumbles, 64 quarterback hits, eight fumble recoveries and 15 pass defenses.
T.J. Watt was voted the team MVP for a team-record fifth time after a season in which he had 61 tackles, including 19 for a loss, 11.5 sacks, a league-high six forced fumbles, 27 quarterback hits and four pass defenses. He also was named second-team All-Pro and is a finalist for NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
Watt draws as much attention from opposing offenses as any player in the NFL, often drawing chips, double-teams and slides in protection to ensure he doesn't wreck games.
After aligning on the left side of the defense about 95 percent of the time in 2024 and seeing his sack production fall off, Watt said he's open to moving around more in 2025 to make those chips and protection issues a little more in an effort to make things more difficult on opposing offenses.
"(I) definitely feel like, schematically, it's been a tough year for how offenses scheme things and try to take me out of the game," Watt said at the completion of the season. "It's going to be a big breakdown for me to try to find ways to make plays. I'm not making excuses for myself at all. I want to make plays. I need to find ways to continue to win off of chips and slides and things of that nature. I'm going to work tirelessly this offseason to get that sorted."
With Watt drawing so much attention in 2024, the linebackers opposite of him, primarily Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig, combined to have 11.5 sacks, as well, six from Highsmith and 5.5 from Herbig.
Highsmith missed six games with injuries in 2024, but still had an impact, recording 45 tackles, nine tackles for a loss, 13 quarterback hits and one forced fumble.
Herbig continued to make strides in his second season, making five starts in Highsmith's absence and showing himself to be one of the top backups on the team. He had 22 tackles, including five for a loss, 11 quarterback hits, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
The Steelers acquired veteran Preston Smith at the trade deadline from Green Bay and the 32-year-old showed his value in eight games, recording 13 tackles, including three for a loss and two sacks in just 161 defensive snaps.
The 6-foot-5, 265-pound edge rusher also showed the ability to kick inside as a defensive tackle in the nickel and dime defenses, providing additional value.
Moon provided outside linebacker depth but was more valuable as a core special teams player, where he saw 222 snaps and blocked a kick.
Inside, the Steelers signed Patrick Queen in free agency and he led the team playing 1,090 defensive snaps this season, missing just a couple of plays.
Queen led the Steelers with 129 tackles, including six for a loss, adding five quarterback hits, one sack, seven pass defenses, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. He got better as the season went on and should be primed for an even better 2025 season.
Veteran Elandon Roberts and rookie Payton Wilson split time next to Queen almost equally, with Roberts playing 478 defensive snaps and Wilson seeing 492.
Roberts, 30, plays with an aggressive, run-stuffing style and had 46 tackles, including five for a loss, one sack, four quarterback hits and one forced fumble.
Wilson, meanwhile, had an outstanding rookie season, posting 78 tackles, including three for a loss, two quarterback hits, an interception, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.
It was just a couple of seasons ago that the Steelers' top three inside linebackers played an entire season without recording a forced fumble or recoveries, along with one sack and just seven tackles for a loss.
The Steelers' top threesome this season had 14 tackles for a loss, two sacks, an interception, four forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.
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And it should continue to get better as Queen and Wilson grow more accustomed to what's being asked of them in this defense.
Veterans Mark Robinson and Tyler Matakevich had key roles on special teams, with Robinson being one of just four players to play 300 or more snaps on that unit. Matakevich saw 195 special teams snaps despite missing six games with a hamstring injury that landed him on injured reserve early in the season before returning later in the year.
Cole Holcomb spent the season on the PUP list after suffering a serious injury in 2023. Holcomb was activated to practice late in the 2024 season but was never added to the active roster.
Roberts, and Matkevich are the only players from this group who can be unrestricted free agents this offseason, while Moon is an exclusive rights free agent.
