Year after year, essentially ever since entering the league via the Pittsburgh Steelers 30th overall pick in 2017, T.J. Watt has been in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation.
This season, Watt’s picked up where he left off during his 2021 DPOY campaign, currently boasting a league-leading 16, thanks to two sacks on Indianapolis Colts’ Gardner Minshew in Week 15. Watt would need seven sacks in the next three games to surpass his 22.5 mark (tied-most ever) set in his DPOY season. Translation: Not happening.
According to Covers.com, which tracks the award race via DraftKings Sportsbook, Watt currently ranks third (+360) behind Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons (-110) and Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (+165). It’s fun to note that Garrett hasn’t had a sack since racking up two versus the Steelers in Week 11 — but he’s also been playing with a bum shoulder, an injury he suffered in Week 12.
In September — granted, it was after just the second week of the season — Watt was on pace for 34 sacks. That’s double where he’ll likely finish the 2023 season. The pace fell off after three weeks with zero sacks and two with a half-sack.
Let’s face it, sacks are where it’s at in the minds of NFL media that determine who receives the honor. But, unfortunately for Watt, they also weigh heavily the overall success of the player’s unit and team.
And we all know where that leaves Watt. We won’t hear his name when the winner is announced at the NFL Honors ceremony on February 10.
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