One could make the argument that T.J. Watt should have four Defensive Player of the Year Awards by now. You can also argue for three or two, but one thing you can’t debate is that he has one. The Pittsburgh Steelers pass rusher should hit 100 career sacks early in his eighth season in 2024. He has led the league in sacks in each of the last three years in which he didn’t suffer a major injury.
And there is nobody else in the league quite like him, teammate Cameron Heyward argues. He shared why he believes that Watt is the best defensive player in the league recently on his Not Just Football podcast. The difference is not what plays he makes but when.
“I think there are a lot of great players, don’t get me wrong. You look at Micah [Parsons], you look at Myles Garrett. But I think the thing that T.J. Watt really does well is, his game-changing plays reflect on the scoreboard”, Heyward said.
“Either he’s scoring a touchdown, he’s picking off a ball, or he’s setting up the offense to go in and score”, he added of Watt. “I don’t think there’s anybody else that really [does that at the same level]. I think each of them have flashy plays, don’t get me wrong. But I think T.J. is responsible for a lot more when you look at the scoreboard and really changing the game”.
One thing Heyward did not mention is making plays that seal games. I still recall the sack and forced fumble during his rookie season against Joe Flacco and the Baltimore Ravens. The Steelers held a precarious one-point lead when Watt recorded the sack to end the game.
Just last year, Watt sacked Lamar Jackson in a 17-10 game on fourth down to end the game. He nearly ended another Ravens game with a strip sack in 2021, only the Ravens recovered. They eventually scored but failed to convert a two-point try, losing by one. In 2018, he iced a 20-16 win with a sack of Blake Bortles, recovered by Heyward.
T.J. Watt’s career is filled with such plays. Surely, guys like Garrett and Parsons also have their share of difference-making plays. And to be fair, Watt only has one touchdown scored himself, or rather, two, including the playoffs. He’s not setting any NFL records for defensive touchdowns scored.
But it’s hard to deny his impact. Watt has 15.5 sacks in the final five minutes of games during his career, with 28 tackles. Nobody has as many sacks during that same span, Chris Jones the closest with 14. Garrett, in comparison, has nine. It wouldn’t be fair to compare Parsons, given that he is a much younger player.
But in Heyward’s mind, T.J. Watt is the greatest defensive player in the league because of his impact on games. Yes, he puts up statistics as well as anybody, but you watch the games, and you see the plays he makes that change outcomes. Whether that’s turning the tide or sealing the deal, he is the closer.
