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 to a pectoral injury. To secure that prestigious 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: Zach Tom of the Green Bay Packers and Jonah Williams of the Cincinnati Bengals.
Zach Tom, Green Bay Packers – Week 10: As things stand right now, it sure does sound like Tom will be the starting right tackle for the Packers to open the 2023 regular season. If that’s the case, and if he stays in that role come Week 10, it will set up a first-time matchup between him and Watt. Tom, who was selected by the Packers in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Wake Forest, played in nine games as a rookie and started five of them. Most of the 489 offensive snaps that Tom played in 2022 came at left tackle, 295 to be exact. He did, however, play 84 snaps at right tackle for the Packers in 2022 with all of those coming in Green Bay’s final two games of the season.
Tom allowed one sack, four quarterback hits and seven hurries in 296 total pass blocking opportunities in 2022, according to Pro Football Focus. He measured in at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine at 6042, 307-pounds.
Outlook: Assuming Tom is the starting right tackle come Week 10, it will be more fresh meat for Watt. Tom mainly played left tackle at Wake Forest so it will be interesting to see just how many hiccups he has at the right tackle spot early in the 2023 regular season. That said, and as previously noted, he closed out the 2022 regular season at the right tackle position so at least he has NFL experience on that side entering his second NFL season.
All told, this should be yet another right tackle that Watt will look forward to seeing in 2023. I expect the Steelers outside linebacker to have a strong showing in this contest that will take place at Acrisure Stadium and likely include Jordan Love playing quarterback for the Packers. There are a few right tackles that Watt should easily get the better of in 2023 and I view Tom as one of them.
Jonah Williams, Cincinnati Bengals – Week 12 and Week 16: Since entering the NFL in 2020 as a first-round draft pick out of Alabama, Williams has primarily played left tackle for the Bengals. In 2023, however, it appears as though Williams will move to right tackle on the heels of the Bengals signing left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. in free agency. Williams didn’t seem particularly happy about having to switch sides at first, but now he seems to be rolling with the punches.
The last time that Williams played a considerable amount at right tackle was in 2016 at Alabama. While it’s been awhile for him on the right side, he has done it before so it’s not like it will be a totally foreign position to him. With Williams primarily being a left tackle so far in his NFL career, it’s obvious that he hasn’t had much work against Watt to date, outside of the Steelers outside linebacker very occasionally rushing from the right side.
Outlook: The Steelers will obviously play the Bengals twice in 2023, with the first of two meetings taking place in Week 12. The second one will take place in Week 16 in Cincinnati. While Watt did manage to play in both games against the Bengals last season, he left the first one in Week 1 with a pectoral injury that sidelined him for a few months, and he did not return until after the team’s bye week.
In total last season, Watt registered two sacks, three hurries and two interceptions in the Steelers two games against the Bengals. Cincinnati, however, has retooled its offensive line this offseason so it will be quite interesting to see two former first-round draft picks in Watt and Williams square off twice during the 2023 season. Personally, I think Watt can give Williams all he wants and more in those two meetings.
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
Two-A-Day Series: Right Tackles Steelers OLB T.J. Watt Likely To Face In 2023 – Harrison, Unknown
