Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin needs to be willing to move T.J. Watt around more to be more impactful.
Two of the best defenders in the game took the field for “Thursday Night Football” in Cleveland, but only one came away with a dominant performance.
Unfortunately, for the Pittsburgh Steelers, it was Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (3 sacks) and not their own T.J. Watt.
Sacks down for Steelers EDGE T.J. Watt in 2024
This season has been something of a sack drought by Watt standards. He’s no stranger to multi-sack weeks on the regular, but this season, there’s been only one: Week 8 vs. the New York Giants. Watt has just one sack in three games after failing to take down Jameis Winston in Week 12.
Today on 93.7 “The Fan Morning Show,” Steelers insider Mark Kaboly suggested something needs to change:
I don’t know how much [T.J. Watt] wants to [move around]. I think partially it has to do with him. He just likes coming from…I mean you remember his rookie year, he was on the other side, didn’t really like it. They flipped him and Bud Dupree and then all of a sudden he took off. But at this point, you’re gonna have to do something a little different. I guarantee if you ask Teryl Austin, he’d be like, ‘Oh we move him around.’ Yeah, you move him around two or three times a game, if that.
According to PFF Ultimate (subscription), two or three times a game is an overestimation. Watt’s position pivot breaks down like this:
- Left end outside (LEO): 404 snaps
- Left OLB: 222 snaps
- Right outside (REO): 6 snaps – vs. New York Giants, Baltimore Ravens
- Right OLB: 1 snap – vs. Indianapolis Colts
The only time Watt hasn’t reached double-digit sacks was his rookie season and 2022, when a pectoral injury sidelined him for half the season.
Why T.J. Watt doesn’t see holding calls
Watt often seems like the NFL’s most held player without the flags to show for it. Despite his elite status and relentless ability to disrupt opposing offenses, holding penalties against players blocking Watt are few and far between.
Why? Part of the issue lies in Watt’s unmatched explosiveness and technique. He moves so quickly and with such precision that it’s hard for referees to spot infractions in real-time. Additionally, Watt’s motor never stops—he powers through holds that might incapacitate lesser players, which can make the infractions appear less blatant. Critics argue this lack of calls stems from a larger league-wide issue of inconsistent officiating when protecting superstar edge rushers.
Offensive coaches have also learned exactly how to neutralize Watt’s impact: Double-teams, chip blocks and quick throws.
As Kaboly wrote in an October 3 column for “The Pat McAfee Show:”
Over the span, Watt is tied for 10th in the league with 18 holding calls drawn by a defender. Last year’s defensive player of the year Cleveland’s Myles Garrett, who was drafted the same year as Watt and has played in roughly the same amount of games, is on top of that list with 24.
Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin could only say holding happens, and nothing can be done about it.
The great pass rushers get held. You know, T.J. is going to get held every week, and they’re going to hold him this week, and they might not get it. There’s nothing we can do about that. We just go play our business. We just try to play ball and let whoever is in charge of the refs take care of that.
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