OLB T.J. Watt had a down 2022 season by his standards, starting 10 games and making 39 total tackles, eight TFLs, 5.5 sacks, one forced fumble, two INTs, and five PBUs. To Watt’s credit, he injured his pec in Week 1 of the regular season and went on IR but still managed to return after Pittsburgh’s bye week when many questioned if the injury would be season-ending.
Despite missing a good chuck of the season and having his stats notably drop from his NFL Defensive Player of the Year campaign a season before, Watt still earned a Pro Bowl selection last season.
One would expect a fully healthy Watt to re-take his place as one of the best pass rushers and overall defensive players in the game in 2023. However, CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco left Watt out of his top 10 players for the upcoming season, ranking him at #11 in his top 100 players ranking for 2023.
“After being the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2021, Watt was limited to 10 games because of injury and had only 5.5 sacks,” Prisco wrote. “Expect him to be more like his 2021 self this season.”
Prisco listed three QBs at the top of his list along with Nick Bosa of the 49ers, Myles Garrett of the Browns, Micah Parsons of the Cowboys, and Aaron Donald of the Rams, all of whom are ahead of Watt on the list.
Based on last season alone, all four of these defenders should rank above Watt since Watt missed nearly half the season and was noticeably hampered upon his return. However, Watt should be considered a top 10 player heading into 2023 now that he is fully healthy since in 2021 he tied the NFL single-season sack record and won DPOY despite missing time with various injuries throughout the year.
Prisco’s rankings had three more Steelers make his top 100. DL Cameron Heyward made the list at #39 overall, S Minkah Fitzpatrick cracked the list at #41 overall, and CB Patrick Peterson just make it in at #92 overall.
As expected, no Steelers offensive players cracked Prisco’s top-100 rankings. Peterson was a nice surprise add to the trio of Watt, Fitzpatrick, and Heyward, who are normally associated as Pittsburgh’s cornerstone pieces on defense. One could argue that OLB Alex Highsmith has a better case for a top-100 ranking over Peterson, but Peterson’s 2022 season gives him a fair argument. Still, Highsmith had a Pro Bowl-caliber season in 2022, and if Watt is being snubbed of a top-10 ranking based on last season’s performance, Highsmith should crack this list.
