If you’re looking to be a little pissed off at the national media to start your Thursday, T.J. Watt barely cracked CBS Sports’ list of the five best EDGE rushers in the NFL. As put together by author Jordan Dajani, Watt finished fourth on the list, only ahead of the Las Vegas Raiders’ Maxx Crosby.
The three names ahead of Watt are the others always in contention for the “greatest pass rusher in football” debate. Here’s the top five.
1. Myles Garrett/Browns
2. Micah Parsons/Cowboys
3. Nick Bosa/49ers
4. T.J. Watt/Steelers
5. Maxx Crosby/Raiders
On Watt, here’s what Dajani wrote:
“Watt’s 0.92 sacks per game is the MOST by any player since 1982 (min. 50 games). He had a stretch of four seasons where he recorded at least 13 sacks, highlighted by his Defensive Player of the Year campaign in 2021, in which he tied Michael Strahan’s NFL record with 22.5 sacks — in just 15 games played! That year, he led the league in sacks, quarterback hits (39) and fumble recoveries (three).”
Watt’s success is well-documented. Since breaking into the league in 2017, he leads the NFL in sacks (87), QB hits (180), and is first among all EDGE rushers with 96 tackles for a loss, only trailing Los Angeles Rams DT Aaron Donald. The 2021 Defensive Player of the Year, Watt still has a chance to break the NFL sack record this year, though his pace has slowed after a red-hot start. Still, few players get sacks in bunches the way Watt’s able to as his 19 games of two-plus sacks also leads the NFL since 2019, and he figures to at least finish 2023 with around 18 QB takedowns.
But all of that wasn’t enough to get Watt on the podium and in the top three. Garrett is having a very similar season from a surface-level production standpoint, both having the same number of sacks, QB hits, and tackles for loss, while the advanced metrics work in Garrett’s favor. Parsons is an ultra-athlete also having a great season. But putting Bosa ahead of Watt is a curious choice. While Bosa was last year’s DPOY, he’s off to a quiet start this season following a lengthy contract holdout. Through eight games, he has just six tackles for a loss and three sacks, on pace for the worst numbers of his career despite playing on a stacked San Francisco 49ers defensive line.
Unless Bosa quickly changes course, the other four should be top candidates for this year’s DPOY. Garrett has never won it before and perhaps voters will give him a tiebreaker over the others. But Watt should be in the mix to win his second award in what could be one of the closest votes by the Associated Press.
