Pittsburgh Steelers EDGE TJ Watt and DL Cam Heyward have been named to the 2021 AP All-Pro first team. Watt was one of five players to receive unanimous voting to the All-Pro team.
For both, it’s their third All-Pro appearance.
Watt had a historic season, his 22.5 sacks tying the official single-season record first set by Michael Strahan in 2001. Watt was again one of football’s most dominant players, impacting the game in every aspect. It’s his third straight All-Pro selection, a list he’ll likely be selected to countless more times over the next decade. He finished the season amassing 64 total tackles (21 for a loss, also leading the league) with five forced fumbles and seven pass deflections.
Heyward had arguably his best season, the anchor of a defensive line otherwise depleted by injuries. Starting all 17 games, Heyward finished 2021 with ten sacks, making him just one of four players in franchise history to have two 10+ sack seasons in his career. He racked up a career-high 89 total tackles to go along with nine pass deflections, one forced fumble, and one interception. Heyward was also named All-Pro in 2017 and 2019.
Heyward received 19 out of a possible 50 votes, edging out Chiefs’ DT Chris Jones and the Titans’ Jeffrey Simmons.
The other four unanimous All-Pro selections included: RB Jonathan Taylor, WRs Cooper Kupp and Davante Adams, and DT Aaron Donald.
While no other Steelers were named to the All-Pro team, three others did receive votes. Minkah Fitzpatrick picked up one vote at safety while Miles Killebrew (3) and Derek Watt (1) received votes as specialists. Surprisingly, Chris Boswell did not receive a single vote for kicker.
Click here to check out the full voting results.
