Since entering the league as the No. 30 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt has become one of the most consistent and feared pass rushers in the game.
He already has a Defensive Player of the Year award under his belt from the 2021 season when he tied the single-season sacks record with 22.5. Now, he’s up for a second DPOY award Thursday night during NFL Honors in Las Vegas.
Despite being such a dominant force, Watt does some things differently from others in the league. That includes his stance at the line of scrimmage.
During an appearance on Super Bowl Live on NFL Network Thursday with host Patrick Claybon and analyst Daniel Jeremiah, Watt was asked about his unorthodox stance, which sees him down in almost a sprinter’s stance allowing him to get a quick get-off at the snap and win with his speed as a smaller pass rusher.
“That’s a shout-out to Dee Ford, honestly,” Watt said, according to video via NFL Network. “The flip stance, I saw him when he was in Kansas City. He had a phenomenal speed rush where he would rush five yards or six yards up the field and actually turn the corner and come back down on the quarterback.
“And it made more sense to me, as a smaller guy, when it comes to other edge rushers, I want to use my speed as much as possible and that allows me to gain as much ground. Shout-out to Dee Ford for that. It works for me.”
It certainly does. Having his inside leg back and inside arm free at the line of scrimmage also allows Watt to stay clean off the edge, giving it that flip-stance look. Ford put it to good use during his time with the Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers from 2014-2021, recording 40.0 career sacks with two 10-plus sack seasons and going to one Pro Bowl.
A back injury ended Ford’s career, but it didn’t stop him from making an impact on a pass rusher like Watt.
Utilizing the unorthodox stance, Watt has been a nightmare for tackles in the passing game. Watt became just the fourth player in NFL history to have multiple seasons with at least 19 sacks, and he became just the third player to lead the NFL in sacks in three different seasons.
Ideally, he should add his second DPOY award Thursday night, but that seems unlikely due to the national narrative surrounding Cleveland’s Myles Garrett despite Watt leading him in every category outside of pass-rush win rate.
The stance works for Watt, and it has helped him put up production that will land him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Kudos to him for looking around the league for some examples that he could use to help him win off the edge.
