Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt will be looking to notch his second NFL Defensive Player of the Year award in 2023 after a 2022 season that included him missing seven games due a to pectoral injury. To secure that prestigious defensive award in 2023, Watt will obviously need to have a consistent performance this coming season and stay healthy. Ahead of the Steelers’ 2023 training camp getting underway, I thought it would be fun to look at 14 predicted different right tackles that Watt is likely to do battle against during the regular season.
In this series a of two-a-day posts, each will include two tackles that Watt is likely to face during the 2023 season. Next up in this series is a look at the second set of two right tackles that Watt will likely face in 2023: Anton Harrison of the Jacksonville Jaguars and an unknown for the Tennessee Titans.
Anton Harrison, Jacksonville Jaguars – Week 8: Recently, the Jaguars starting left tackle Cam Robinson was suspended for the first four games of the 2023 NFL regular season for violating NFL’s PED policy. Even so, there’s a good chance that he’ll be back starting for the Jaguars at left tackle when they play the Steelers in Pittsburgh come Week 8. As to who will be the starting right tackle for the Jaguars come Week 8, that very well could wind up being Harrison, the team’s first-round selection this year out of Oklahoma.
Harrison was mainly a left tackle in college so it will be interesting to see how quickly he can transition to the right tackle spot, if indeed that’s the Jaguars’ plan for him. Harrison measured in at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine at 6043, 315-pounds.
Outlook: Watt versus any rookie tackle is obviously a battle that weighs heavily in the edge rusher’s favor. While Harrison does have a nice pedigree, he’s sure to have a few bumps along the way as a rookie and especially if he’s playing the right tackle position, which he does seem best suited for. Assuming Harrison does get the Week 8 call at right tackle for the Jaguars, and assuming that Robinson is back at left tackle for that contest, the Jaguars will almost certainly plan to give their rookie quite a bit of help when it comes to Watt.
All told, and expected extra attention aside, I would expect Watt to have a solid overall game against the Jaguars. Any matchup against rookie is a matchup Watt should be expected to come out on top of unequivocally.
Unknown, Tennessee Titans – Week 9: The Titans will start the 2023 NFL regular season without their starting right tackle from last season, Nicholas Petit-Frere, as he’s been suspended for the first six games for violating the NFL’s gambling policy. While Petit-Frere should be reinstated by Week 9, the Titans might not go back to him as their starting right tackle, especially considering he didn’t play well overall as a rookie in 2022.
The Titans could go in several different directions at right tackle and those include the likes of Andre Dillard and rookie Peter Skoronski, who both are better suited to play on the left side. Dillard should start at one of the two tackle spots based on the money he’s getting paid. As for Skoronski, he’s likely to be a starting guard or tackle right out of the chute with him being the team’s first-round selection this year.
Had Petit-Frere played better last season, it would be easier to pencil him in as the Titans’ starting right tackle come Week 9. For now, however, Tennessee’s starter for its game against the Steelers seems very much up in the air ahead of training camps getting underway.
Outlook: Regardless of who the Titans’ right tackle is come Week 9, Watt should have a favorable matchup overall, especially if it winds up being Petit-Frere who gets the nod. While Skoronski is a very talented player coming out of college, he’ll still be a rookie. He also mainly played left tackle at Northwestern.
It’s going to be interesting to watch this play out for the Titans while Petit-Frere serves his suspension. It’s also worth noting that this game between the Titans and the Steelers is a Thursday night contest as well so whoever starts at right tackle for Tennessee in Week 8 will likely start in Week 9 as well.
Previous Posts In This Series:
Two-A-Day Series: Right Tackles Steelers OLB T.J. Watt Likely To Face In 2023 – McKivitz, Conklin
Two-A-Day Series: Right Tackles Steelers OLB T.J. Watt Likely To Face In 2023 – Eluemunor, Howard
Two-A-Day Series: Right Tackles Steelers OLB T.J. Watt Likely To Face In 2023 – Moses, Havenstein
