The Steelers made their first big move of the offseason when they signed fullback Derek Watt on March 25.
Watt drew comparisons to his upbringing when explaining why Pittsburgh is the right fit for him.
“I think what made Pittsburgh a great fit for me was the culture that they have there, the tradition that they have built,” Watt said. “They are a hard-working, blue-collar, tough-nosed organization. I just feel like it kind of fits the way I was raised and the way I try to play the game.”
#HereWeGo, @DerekWatt34! pic.twitter.com/V5Zgmxphmd
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) April 5, 2020
Watt was born and raised in Waukesha, Wis., the son of a firefighter and a dispatcher of a building inspection company. His father, John, worked 24-hour shifts while his mother, Connie, worked her way up at the inspection company.
Watt knows the value of hard work and what an organization like Pittsburgh expects of him.
Just what should fans expect?
Given that the Steelers had a ton of needs and FB wasn’t really one of them, this was a surprise signing. Pittsburgh made him the second-highest-paid FB (behind San Fransisco’s Kyle Juszczyk) and released Roosevelt Nix.
In 2019, Watt played in 325 special teams snaps with a Pro Football Focus grade of 90.5. On offense, he logged 72 run-blocking snaps (58 grade) to just four pass-blocking snaps (34 grade).
While he did score a touchdown, Watt only had eight rushing attempts for 10 yards.
Don’t expect the second coming of FB Dan Kreider, but he will be a vital part of this team. My thought is that he’ll have a more prominent role on both ST and offense than Nix did with better results. Watt is a tenacious run-blocker which should help running back James Conner tremendously.
[vertical-gallery id=461486]
[lawrence-related id=460791]