Highsmith, Dotson ready to take on starting roles
The star of the 2020 Steelers draft class undoubtedly was receiver Chase Claypool, who burst onto the scene with 62 catches and 11 touchdowns in his first season in the league. Two other players from last year’s rookie class could be in line for breakout seasons this year as they step into full-time starting roles for the first time.
Outside linebacker Alex Highsmith and offensive lineman Kevin Dotson each started a few games last season, but they’ll be assuming bigger roles after the offseason departures of Bud Dupree and Matt Feiler, who signed big free agent contracts with the Titans and Chargers, respectively.
Dotson started four times when Feiler and David DeCastro were injured, and
Highsmith started the final five games after Dupree had a season-ending knee injury.
“I know I have to go in and make the most of it,” Highsmith said Wednesday. “The same thing happened to me in college. I didn’t start my first couple of years in college and then ended up starting. I took advantage of that opportunity. I feel like my opportunity is presented to me, I’m going to take advantage of it. It’s exciting. I’m ready for the challenge.”
Highsmith played in all 16 games last season and finished with two sacks, five tackles for loss and an interception. He’ll look to put up some better numbers in his second season, and it’s going to be important for the defense that he does it.
Once Dupree left the lineup in December, opposing offenses started to pay more attention to All-Pro T.J. Watt on the left side, bringing extra blockers to prevent him from getting sacks and big plays. Highsmith is well aware that he must win his fair share of one-on-one battles this season. Otherwise, teams are going to continue to double- and triple-team Watt, who led the Steelers with 15 sacks.
“I feel like I have to come in and earn that respect that he has to even that out a little bit,” Highsmith said.
Highsmith will be one of three new starters on the defense. Cam Sutton will be stepping in at corner after the departure of Steven Nelson, and perhaps Justin Layne or James Pierre will be getting starter’s snaps at slot corner after Mike Hilton signed with the Bengals as a free agent.
Dotson is in line to be one of three new starters on the offensive line, which is the team’s biggest area of concern this offseason. Dotson will be between two new starters. Chukwuma Okorafor is making the transition to left tackle with Al Villanueva signing with the Ravens, and rookie thirdround pick Kendrick Green or veterans B.J. Finney or J.C. Hassenauer will be the starting center after Maurkice Pouncey’s retirement.
“We just have to adapt,” said Dotson. “The offensive lines of any teams I’ve been on, we’ve been able to plug people in and still get the job done. We’re going to miss the leadership of Pouncey, but we have to adjust.”
Dotson is doing his share of adapting in his second NFL season. A right guard in college, Dotson is spending the offseason getting used to left guard. The transition requires different footwork and hand placement than what he is accustomed to doing on the right side, but it’s a necessity with DeCastro entrenched as the starter at right guard.
“They wanted me to train more for the left side,” Dotson said. “That’s what I did the whole offseason, just to feel more comfortable in it. Last year I wasn’t too comfortable with it, but I feel way more comfortable with it right now.”
Other changes are in the works for everyone on the line under new coach Adrian Klemm, who is changing the run scheme and the mindset in his room. One noticeable difference observing practices is linemen operating out of three-point stances on a number of plays.
Under previous line coaches Shaun Sarrett and Mike Munchak, guards and centers were given the freedom to play out of two-point stances if they were more comfortable doing so. Klemm believes firing off the ball and getting leverage on defensive linemen will help improve the running game.
“He’s emphasizing that more for the tackles, being more often doing three-point stances,” Dotson said. “I was in a three-point stance all the time last year. It didn’t really change for me. But our other guards did two-point stances. He’s trying to get away from that so we can get off the ball a little more.”
That’s not the only change. The Steelers developed a reputation for being passive along the line in recent years. It can happen when a team passes as often as the Steelers. Over time, it became more natural for linemen to go backward rather than forward.
Klemm’s task is getting his linemen to rediscover an oldschool approach to the position.
“I feel like there is a little more intensity,” Dotson said. “Not to say coach [Sarrett] wasn’t doing his job or anything, but it’s more like, ‘We need to go.’ It’s more aggression, even the way we come off to block. There is no more getting behind people and blocking them. It’s more getting in the middle of them. Even his verbiage is more aggressive. It’s not just, ‘Get the block.’ It’s like, ‘Run through his face’ or other stuff I can’t say. He’s using more aggressive terms and I feel like that pushes our mindset in that way.”
Dotson is known for his run-blocking skills, which figures to make him a factor in the development of the new running game that is being installed. His goal is to make a seamless transition from part-time player to fulltime starter.
“I want to be more of that aggressive guy,” he said. “I’m kind of aggressive already, but I want to be that guy who is going to do extra and be a guy you need to make sure you’re ready for on the defensive line. I want to be conditioned enough to go 100% for the whole game.”