Pittsburgh Steelers OLB T.J. Watt suffered a partially torn pectoral during the team’s Week One win last season against the Cincinnati Bengals, and without Watt the Steelers went 1-6 until he returned after the team’s Week Nine bye. Clearly, a healthy Watt is key to Pittsburgh’s success, and the 2021 NFL Defensive Player of the Year said this camp he’s finally getting back to playing without worry.
“I’m back to playing free. I really am. When you come back off injury, you always wanna say that you’re close to a hundred percent and you’re trying to do everything that you can, but it’s really hard to deep down feel that way. This camp, it’s been getting back to playing free, not being afraid to make mistakes, not thinking about my pec or anything like that. And it’s been very rejuvenating and I feel like myself again,” Watt said via the DVE Morning Show.
When you suffer a serious injury, it can be hard to trust your body again and play with a full range of motion. Watt said he was banged up throughout the season and it wasn’t just the pec injury bothering him in 2022. All those little injuries on top of the big one can add up. If he wasn’t feeling like himself, he wasn’t going to play like himself.
But it sounds as if he’s back to being the T.J. Watt that the Steelers need him to be. When Watt’s fully healthy, he’s nearly impossible to stop. He’s a true definition of a game-wrecker, and his influence on Pittsburgh’s defense is immense. With Watt healthy and ready to go, the Steelers defense should be among the league’s best yet again.
With Watt healthy, there’s also more opportunity for other guys on the defense to make plays. Someone like Watt garners so much attention from the defense, that there aren’t enough guys to block other talented pass rushers like Alex Highsmith and Cameron Heyward the way they should be blocked.
Watt’s return to full strength is why I think this Steelers defense should be able to notch 50-plus sacks once again and push for the league lead. Watt, Highsmith and Heyward are all capable of hitting double-digit sacks, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if all three do.
While the Steelers’ offense is going to be better this year, they’re still a team that’s led by the defense, and Watt just might be the most important piece to it. Getting him back to playing free and comfortable is huge for the Steelers, and I can’t wait to watch him blow up offenses this season.
