It has been a good week for T.J. Watt. Mike Tomlin, Ben Roethlisberger, and Jonathan Gannon have each called him the best defensive player in football throughout the week. He had a two sack game in Week Twelve against the Cincinnati Bengals and one of those was a strip sack that bounced the wrong way to be recovered by the Bengals. He is currently in a two-way tie for the most sacks in the NFL with Minnesota Vikings pass rusher Danielle Hunter. Both players have 13.5 sacks, but Watt has accomplished that number in one less game. The Vikings are on bye this week, so Watt has a great opportunity to pull ahead and have sole possession of the sack title with just over a month of football left in the regular season.
Watt was asked about being called the best defensive player on the planet during his Friday practice media availability.
“I’m trying to be the best player I can possibly be,” Watt said in a video posted by Steelers Live on X. “I can’t really look at everything else. I think there’s just so much going on in the season, so many more pressing things to focus on than who’s the best — all that stuff. I just wanna continue to be the best player I can be for myself and for this team.”
As usual, Watt is all business. He doesn’t let himself get caught up in the labels that others put on him during the season, no matter how deserving. Later in the video, Watt is asked about some comments made by defensive coordinator Teryl Austin where he said Watt does so much more than just sacks and quarterback hits, specifically pointing to his abilities in coverage.
“I’m a big believer in how you do one thing is how you do everything,” Watt continued. “I’m trying to be the most well-rounded player I can possibly be…if I’m asked to drop in coverage, I’m not gonna complain about it. I’m gonna try to make the most of it.”
If you look at Watt’s usage in coverage over his career, he has shown a definite improvement. Just looking at his Pro Football Focus coverage grades, he was as low as a 38.7 his second season in the league and never broke the 80.0 mark up until the 2022 season. The last two years, he has had an overall coverage score of 83.9 and 82.3 in 2022 and 2023 respectively. With 37 coverage snaps this season, he has been targeted into his coverage seven times, allowing six receptions for 58 yards. He is tackling the catch well to limit any big gains and even has an interception to his name this season against Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams.
So while fans and the media will continue debating who the best defensive player in the league is, Watt is unconcerned as he continues keeping his head down to improve himself and his ability to help the team achieve its goals week after week.
