When it comes to T.J. Watt it is hard for him to keep raising the bar after multiple seasons that garnered NFL Defensive Player of the Year votes, including him winning the award in 2021 when he set the league’s single-season sack record with 22.5. He will turn 30 years old this year and is probably closer to the end of his career than the beginning, but he has shown no signs of slowing down.
Among many other impressive statistics, Watt led the league with 19 sacks in 2023. Is it crazy to think that he could improve or even take sole control of the single-season sack record next year? There are some significant factors at play that could set him up for a better season in 2024.
Former NFL scout and current NFL Network analyst Bucky Brooks was asked by Daniel Jeremiah if he thinks Watt can improve on his 2023 league-leading 19 sacks.
“That is a big number, but DJ, he’s done that like two of the last three years. He’s always in that conversation being able to do it. I’m gonna say a better year, slightly better,” Brooks said during Tuesday’s episode of Move The Sticks on Apple podcasts. “Here’s why. I think this team is better constructed to play complementary football than they have been in the past…I think T.J. has more opportunities to finish the game. And because he’s a finisher, he has a better year than he had the previous year.”
Brooks’ assertion is that a better Steelers offense will actually increase Watt’s opportunities to make an impact. Maybe the defense spends slightly less time on the field, but if the Steelers are protecting leads rather than trying to play catch up, opposing offenses will be forced to throw the ball more often.
We all know that the Steelers’ offense struggled last season. To put a number to it, Pittsburgh trailed its opponents for 27 minutes and 30 seconds of game time on average. That was the seventh-most time spent trailing per game by any team in the NFL. For comparison, the Ravens spent just a little over eight minutes per game trailing.
| Team | Time Trailing Per Game (hr:min:sec) | Team | Time Trailing Per Game (hr:min:sec) |
| Panthers | 0:38:31 | Bengals | 0:23:54 |
| Jets | 0:36:36 | Colts | 0:23:32 |
| Commanders | 0:36:05 | Buccaneers | 0:23:11 |
| Patriots | 0:34:25 | Texans | 0:22:54 |
| Cardinals | 0:32:29 | Packers | 0:22:52 |
| Giants | 0:30:46 | Rams | 0:22:26 |
| Steelers | 0:27:30 | Jaguars | 0:22:16 |
| Seahawks | 0:26:19 | Bears | 0:21:01 |
| Falcons | 0:25:42 | Bills | 0:18:36 |
| Broncos | 0:25:32 | Eagles | 0:17:28 |
| Raiders | 0:25:12 | Dolphins | 0:16:59 |
| Browns | 0:24:33 | Chiefs | 0:16:42 |
| Titans | 0:24:16 | Cowboys | 0:16:18 |
| Saints | 0:24:15 | Lions | 0:15:39 |
| Chargers | 0:24:11 | 49ers | 0:10:50 |
| Vikings | 0:23:58 | Ravens | 0:08:07 |
The Steelers were also 20th in average time of possession per game with 29:28. Comparatively to the league, the defense spent more time on the field and more time trailing than most teams. That creates more wear and tear on the defense, and less opportunities to rush the passer when teams are running to control and kill the clock over the second half of each game.
Last year, the Steelers had passing plays against them on 53.4-percent of their defensive plays. That is a little above the trend line when charted against the “time trailing” numbers across the league. Still, the trend line suggests that the more a team is trailing, the less they are passed on.
A better offense will keep the defense fresh and give it more opportunities to rush the passer. That could create a huge benefit for T.J. Watt and the rest of the front seven in terms of their sack totals.
We don’t know exactly how much offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and QB Russell Wilson will be able to elevate the offense, but it is hard to imagine it could be any worse than the Matt Canada-Kenny Pickett era.
Add the fact that the defense around Watt got more talented this offseason, and that will create further synergies for the pass rush. Coverage and pass rush go hand-in-hand, and a better secondary should mean more time for the pass rush to get home.
To answer my own question at the beginning of this post, no, I don’t think it is crazy to think Watt could improve upon 19 sacks from a season ago. I would not be surprised if he makes a push to challenge his own 22.5-sack mark and take sole control of the record.
