Tag: T.J. Watt

T.J. Watt finishes 4th in DPOY voting

T.J. Watt had his worst season since he was a rookie in 2024.

Thursday night the NFL Thhanded out their annual award at the NFL Honors. The only Pittsburgh Steelers who was in the running for any of the end-of-season awards was edge defender T.J. Watt. He was a finalist for Defensive Player of the Years but the odds were against him.

Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II won the award and rightfully so. Surtain was far and away the best cornerback in the NFL. Watt ended up finishing fourth behind Surtain, Bengals EDGE Trey Hendrickson and Browns EDGE Myles Garrett. Watt did get three first-place votes.

Here’s how the voting broke down for the top four.

Patrick Surtain II 26-11-2-4-1: 330
Trey Hendrickson 11-10-9-8-2: 205
Myles Garrett 5-11-12-8-5: 162
T.J. Watt 3-7-8-11-3: 114

Watt finished 2024 with 11.5 sacks. This was his worst season since his rookie year if you exclude 2022 where he missed six games with injury. Watt failed to put up any stats in the team’s final two games which was completely out of character for him and really hurt the final numbers.

The reality is Watt’s teammate, defensive tackle Cam Heyward was a far more deserving candidate after racking up eight sacks and 11 passes defended as a defensive tackle.

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Steelers defender ranks among NFL iron men

No edge defenders played a higher percentage of their defensive snaps than T.J. Watt.

Aside from offensive linemen, who never get to come off the field, most positions on both sides of the football are revolving doors for substitutions. But there are always a handful of players who never seem to come off the field.

One such player is Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt. One of the premier edge rushers in the league, Watt is one of those guys who is never going to pull himself out of a game and only comes out if he must. Judging by the numbers, he is truly among the elite in the league when it comes to reps.

 

No edge rusher played a higher percentage of their team’s snaps in 2024 than Watt. According to Pickinem, Watt played a league-best 85.9 percent of his team’s snaps. A remarkable number when you consider how defenses adjust personnel groupings to account for situational football.

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Why T.J. Watt situation with Steelers is no different than Myles Garrett

Myles Garrett requested a trade from the Browns to join a playoff contender, while T.J. Watt wants to remain with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Myles Garrett made it official that he wants out of Cleveland. On Monday, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year officially requested a trade from the Browns.

Garrett spent his entire eight-year career with Cleveland since the team took him No. 1 overall in the 2017 NFL draft. While his accolades include six Pro Bowl nominations and four All-Pro honors, the Browns have yet to sniff the pinnacle of the postseason — a Lombardi trophy.

The star defender knows he won’t ever get there in a Browns uniform, either, and stated as much in his trade request. Cleveland is just as far (if not farther) from being a Super Bowl contender as the Pittsburgh Steelers are.

General manager Omar Khan will likely work out a new contract for Garrett’s counterpart, T.J. Watt, this offseason. Otherwise, he’ll play on the final year of his contract in 2025. As Pittsburgh media personality Mark Madden posted on X (formerly Twitter) this morning, Watt is in the same boat as Garrett.

“T.J. Watt is in the same situation as Garrett. He just won’t admit it to himself,” Madden wrote.

Despite the team’s lack of postseason success, Watt, 30, has stated on multiple occasions he wants to remain with the Pittsburgh Steelers. In January, he reiterated his stance, “I don’t want to leave this place. I want to be a part of the solution. I’ve put so much into it here and seen so many guys—I want to help Cam Heyward get to where we need to get.”

Sadly, Watt and Cam Heyward will retire without Super Bowl rings if they do stay in Pittsburgh. No one on the team deserves it more than these future Hall of Fame defenders.

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2025 Free Agency: Can Steelers afford Tee Higgins’ massive payday?

The Steelers may be interested in Tee Higgins, but his price tag could force them to consider a cheaper alternative.

The Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves once again in search of receiver help heading into 2025. Bengals WR  Tee Higgins, arguably the biggest free-agent wide receiver this offseason, has been tied to the Black and Gold as of late. However, he may prove too expensive for the Steelers’ taste.

According to ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler, Higgins is expected to break the $30 million per year mark. Fowler noted that he has heard discussions of Higgins’ contract being lower—closer to Philadelphia Eagles WR DeVonta Smith’s $25 million per year—but ultimately, more team personnel believe it will be much higher:

“The rest saw him breaking into the $30 million range, based on his status as a No. 1-caliber receiver and the number of teams desperate for pass-catching help.”

This could prove troublesome for the rest of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ roster, with T.J. Watt, George Pickens, and DeShon Elliott set to hit free agency in 2026—all of whom could command massive contracts in their own right.

Should the Pittsburgh Steelers settle for a cheaper veteran option, such as WR Amari Cooper, or is Higgins’ talent too great to pass up in 2025 free agency?

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Steelers can’t ignore potential ‘next T.J. Watt’ in 2025 NFL Draft

UCLA’s Femi Oladejo could be a steal in the 2025 NFL Draft and a potential successor to T.J. Watt.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have glaring needs looking ahead to the 2025 NFL Draft—wide receiver, defensive line, cornerback, and running back, to name a few.

However, 2024 painted an unpleasant picture the Black and Gold must face heading into the 2025 offseason—what will life look like without T.J. Watt?

It’s an intimidating question to ponder—almost as frightening as watching Watt go sackless in four straight games to end the 2024 season—and just scary enough to justify ignoring one or two of those aforementioned positions to solve tomorrow’s problem.

That’s where UCLA EDGE Femi Oladejo comes into play—a Senior Bowl standout who switched from ILB to edge rusher during the 2024 season and is expected to be one of the biggest mid- to late-round steals.

His 2024 numbers don’t jump off the stat sheet—4.5 sacks, 14 TFLs, and 57 combined tackles—but no one can deny the raw talent he possesses since switching over to EDGE.

HC Mike Tomlin lives for developing these types of players, and if the team can do so properly, Oladejo could very well be Watt’s successor.

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How opponents figured out T.J. Watt—and what the Steelers must do next

Opponents found a way to neutralize T.J. Watt in 2024, and the Pittsburgh Steelers must adjust to help their star pass rusher bounce back.

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2024 season was incredibly frustrating for a variety of reasons—but one of the most concerning was that opposing teams finally cracked the code on how to stop T.J. Watt.

In the Steelers’ last four games, all losses, Watt managed only one tackle for loss and failed to record a sack or quarterback hit. Opposing offenses began chipping Watt with tight ends, running backs, and additional linemen—and it worked, much to the dismay of the Black and Gold.

Watt will likely be open to moving around the defensive line, similar to what other dominant defensive players have done when offensive lines attempt to double-team them with tight ends and running backs, like Myles Garrett and Micah Parsons.

Watt isn’t Aaron Donald, who could simply eat up double or triple teams and continue to find success. The Pittsburgh Steelers should scheme their best player into potential one-on-one matchups.

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Patriots could attempt trade for T.J. Watt, but here’s a better idea

The Patriots trading for T.J. Watt is a pipe dream, but there’s also a better and more realistic option for the team.

The New England Patriots potentially swinging a blockbuster trade will be the talk of the offseason. That’s what happens when you’re loaded to the gills in cap space with one of the worst rosters in the league.

So it’s no surprise that Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro edge rusher T.J. Watt is being mentioned on social media as a potential trade option for the Patriots.

The Steelers haven’t mentioned Watt even being on the trade block, but considering the state of the team, one has to wonder if the right offer could pry the former Defensive Player of the Year from their black and gold clutches.

New England clearly needs an edge rusher. They desperately need a defensive disruptor up front to pressure opposing quarterbacks and open up opportunities for other playmakers. An argument could be made that nobody is better at that job than Watt.

But at 30 years old and likely with a high price tag, does a player like Watt make sense for the Patriots at this current juncture? Do the Patriots make sense for Watt?

The easy answer to both of those questions is no.

Forking over significant draft compensation and a big-money contract isn’t ideal for a player closer to the end of his career than the beginning. That isn’t to say Watt can’t have two or even three more years of greatness. But it would make more sense for the Patriots to use those assets on younger players capable of becoming franchise cornerstones for the team.

As for Watt, it would probably be a huge disappointment for him to leave Pittsburgh for a rebuilding team without the pieces in place to contend right away.

A better option for the Patriots would be waiting until the 2025 NFL draft and taking Penn State’s All-American defensive end Abdul Carter.

There are some scary similarities between Carter and Dallas Cowboys star pass-rusher Micah Parsons, other than the fact that they both attended Penn State. Carter is a dominant edge player with the rare ability to take over a game by wreaking havoc in the offensive backfield.

Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter and Cam Ward are expected to be the first three names taken off the draft board, leaving Carter to fall into the awaiting arms of the Patriots.

Granted, there’s always a chance that Carter’s name continues to rise in the draft, and he’s taken earlier than expected. That could instead create a situation where Hunter falls to the Patriots.

Another top-tier cornerback is also a major need for the team. The thought of Hunter playing across from All-Pro corner Christian Gonzalez is equally as appealing as Carter lining up as their lead pass-rusher.

Regardless of what happens, the Patriots should find themselves in a position to upgrade significantly on the defensive side of the ball if they’re patient.

Isn’t that the whole point of a rebuild? Patience?

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Does T.J. Watt deserve to be a Defensive Player of the Year finalist?

T.J. Watt had a solid 2024 season, but his late struggles raise questions about his finalist spot for Defensive Player of the Year.

While 2024 was a historic year for the newest Steeler in the 100-sack club, T.J. Watt, his performance to end the season raises questions about the legitimacy of his inclusion in the D.P.O.Y. race.

The NFL announced that Watt was one of five players in the running to win the 2024 D.P.O.Y. award, along with Philadelphia Eagles LB Zack Baun, Denver Broncos CB Patrick Surtain II, Cincinnati Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson, and the reigning 2023 D.P.O.Y. award-winning DE Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns.

One could argue that each of these finalists provided a case as to why they deserve the award in 2024—except for Watt.

Surtain was the best cornerback of 2024, Hendrickson led the NFL with 17.5 sacks, Garrett came in second with 14 sacks and led the league with 22 TFLs, and Baun became the first linebacker to record over 150 tackles and 5 or more forced fumbles in a single season.

Watt, on the other hand, failed to record an assist, a tackle, or a sack in the final 127 snaps of the 2024 season.

Watt is still one of the greatest defenders the NFL currently has to offer, but it is no secret that 2024 was far from his year.

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Steelers EDGE T.J. Watt withdraws from 2025 Pro Bowl Games

The Pro Bowl Games will carry on without one of the NFL’s brightest defensive stars, Pittsburgh Steelers pass-rusher T.J. Watt.

The Pro Bowl Games will carry on without one of the NFL’s brightest defensive stars, T.J. Watt. The former Defensive Player of the Year withdrew from the annual event due to injury.

Like many players, Watt dealt with minor injuries near the end of the season, specifically to the ankle and thumb.

The Ravens’ Kyle Van Noy will step in to replace him. Watt, a dominant force on Pittsburgh’s defense and one of the league’s top pass rushers, earned his seventh Pro Bowl selection this season.

Whether Watt can physically go or not might not matter. The Pro Bowl is no longer the coveted honor it once was and isn’t taken as seriously by players.

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Steelers defender named finalist for Defensive Player of the Year

T.J. Watt had one of his worst years as a pro with only 11.5 sacks.

On Thursday, the NFL announced finalists for all of the major end-of-the-year awards. The Pittsburgh Steelers were shut out of all the awards except for Defensive Player of the Year where outside linebacker T.J. Watt hangs on to an outside chance.

Here is the full list of finalists per the NFL:

CB Patrick Surtain II – Denver Broncos

EDGE Trey Hendrickson – Cincinnati Bengals

EDGE Myles Garrett – Cleveland Browns

EDGE T.J. Watt – Pittsburgh Steelers

LB Zach Baun – Philadelphia Eagles

Five very talented football players who meant very different things to their respective teams. While we appreciate Watt making the cut for the finalists, it would be a massive upset if he actually won the award this year. Watt’s season has been a series of ups and downs in line with the rest of the Steelers defense. Watt finished the season with 11.5 sacks, his worst total since he was a rookie if you didn’t account for 2022 when he missed must of the year win injury.

 

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