Defensively for the Pittsburgh Steelers, no two pieces are better — or more important — than outside linebacker T.J. Watt and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.
The two are perennial All-Pros, high-level playmakers and consistently find themselves in the Defensive Player of the Year discussions, even if they are on the fringes in those discussions.
The combined impacts of the two are immense for the Steelers. Knowing that, it’s not a surprise to see Watt and Fitzpatrick ranked among the elites in Touchdown Wire’s Top 101 players entering the 2023 season. Their placements overall were a bit curious though, especially Watt’s.
After missing seven games last season with a partially torn pectoral muscle and later playing through a significant rib injury in the second half, Watt recorded just 5.5 sacks in 10 games last season one year after tying the league record for sacks in a single season with 22.5 and winning the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year award.
Watt’s tough 2022 season landed him at No. 38 in Touchdown Wire’s Top 101, compiled by Doug Farrar.
“Watt was the 2021 Defensive Player of the Year, and he ranked first overall in our 2022 list of edge-defenders,” Farrar writes regarding Watt’s ranking at No. 38 overall. “Unfortunately, injuries robbed him of seven games last season, but he still racked up seven sacks, four quarterback hits, 20 quarterback hurries, and 25 stops, and he looked very much his old self by the end of last year’s campaign.”
Prior to the injury, Watt looked like he was in for another monster year, sacking Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow once in the season opener, recording a thunderous tackle for loss on Joe Mixon, and intercepting Burrow at the line of scrimmage. Then, that ill-fated sack attempt on Burrow in the fourth quarter partially tore his pec muscle, knocking him from the lineup.
Once he came back, he took a shot in the ribs on a chip block and dealt with that for a time, but he eventually got healthy late and looked the like usual T.J. Watt. While Farrar acknowledges that, it’s puzzling to see him at No. 38 overall and even at No. 5 in Touchdown Wire’s EDGE rankings ahead of the 2023 season.
Watt has 77.5 career sacks, the most of any player in the league since he joined the league. It’s no small surprise that the Steelers’ best stretch of last season came with a healthy Watt. In the 10 games that Watt was healthy in 2022, the Steelers won eight games and lost only twice. They finished the season with a 9-8 record, meaning that when Watt was sidelined, Pittsburgh was 1-6.
Chances are, if he stays healthy in 2023, he’ll jump way up this list again.
As for Fitzpatrick, coming off of yet another All-Pro season and tying for the league lead in interceptions, the star safety landed at No. 11 overall in Farrar’s rankings.
“Last season, Fitzpatrick played 640 snaps at free safety, 161 in the box, 112 in the slot, 14 at cornerback, and 12 along the defensive line. Wherever he was, opposing quarterbacks and receivers were not generally having a great time,” Farrar writes regarding Fitzpatrick’s ranking at No. 11 overall. “Fitzpatrick allowed 25 catches on 36 targets for 369 yards, 123 yards after the catch, one touchdown, six interceptions, four pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 72.3. At safety specifically, whether in single- or two-deep coverage, Fitzpatrick’s field sense and eye for the ball made him an intelligent weapon for Mike Tomlin’s defense at all times.”
Fitzpatrick was simply dominant in 2022 for the Steelers. After an up-and-down 2021 season due to some injuries in the front seven and the inability to stop the run, the Steelers defense returned to prominence in 2022 and Fitzpatrick thrived in the backend, being that ballhawk and overall field general that makes him so special.
According to Pro Football Focus, Fitzpatrick graded out at 82.4 overall, making him the fourth-best safety in the NFL from the grades perspective from PFF. He was an absolute force in 2022 and looked very much like the Fitzpatrick that initially came over from the Miami Dolphins in a surprise 2019 trade.
His IQ is already one of his strengths, but it’s something that he’s emphasized building on to make his game even better. His ball skills are among the best in the NFL, leading the league in interceptions last season and he’s had at least two every season he’s been in Pittsburgh.
His six picks tied for the league lead, the first Steeler to accomplish that since Mel Blount all the way back in 1975. Fitzpatrick’s picks were timely too, with two coming late in the fourth quarter to close out wins over the Atlanta Falcons and Baltimore Ravens, propelling the Steelers to a 7-2 stretch run that nearly saw them make the playoffs. In fact, Fitzpatrick was the only player in the NFL this season with two interceptions in the final two minutes of games.
He’s tied to Pittsburgh long-term thanks to a massive contract extension signed last summer and he’s seemingly only getting better entering his age 27 season. The Steelers have a great one at the safety position again, and he’s the best one in the league, too.
