The elite pass rushers in the NFL today are typically those flashy cartoon character-like players. The Myles Garretts, the Micah Parsons, even the Maxx Crosbys. But better than all of them is Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt, even if he lacks the glitz and glamour and is more of the blue-collar pass rusher who quietly goes about his business.
When discussing the best of the best at the EDGE position, T.J. Watt often gets knocked for things like apparently lacking athleticism or that elite-level trait. What he doesn’t get enough credit for is how he’s become an absolute technician with his hands and has a special trait of making big-time plays in big-time spots within games.
That’s a skill, period. It’s not luck.
For former Steelers’ outside linebacker and current Los Angeles Chargers pass rusher Bud Dupree, nobody should be trying to take anything away from Watt as that truly dominant defensive piece.
In an interview with SilverbaX Brand on YouTube in late August, Dupree sang Watt’s praises.
“Nah, man. T.J.’s…sometimes he’s just chosen. Man, T.J.’s a student of the game a hundred percent. He’s taking chances. He believes in training. If he sees something, he taking it. He’s not like…he’s not listening, but I’m telling you, the Steelers do a good job of letting the players be the players,” Dupree said of his former teammate, according to video via the show’s YouTube page. “So he does a good job of studying film, preparing. He’s the best preparer you’re probably gonna meet when it comes to the defense side of the ball.
“Do not take anything away from that boy.”
Throughout his career, after being the No. 30 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft coming out of Wisconsin, T.J. Watt has been discredited every chance analysts get. He’s not the biggest, not the strongest, not the fastest. He doesn’t have those “wow!” pass rush reps where he does some shocking athletic feat.
Yet, time and time again, he produces. He’s a technician, and having great technique, including hand usage, wins out every time over having those attention-grabbing athletic traits.
And even that’s a discredit to T.J. Watt, too, because he’s also a freak athlete.
Dupree saw it up close and in person for years with the Steelers. Watt might not be the most physically imposing player in pads, but he’s sneaky athletic and will do things that leave you shaking your head.
“That boy is one of the ones who is sneaky athletic. When he first got to Pittsburgh, we seen this out the window. He went out there and did a windmill dunk. That boy with two ACL tears. That boy got two zippers on their knee. People don’t even know he got two knee injuries,” Dupree said of Watt. “He a dog, and he’s a freak. He’s a freak. He’s a dog.
“Don’t take nothing. T.J., he’s a dog. He’s gonna do anything he wants. He’s gonna make plays when you wanna make them and you’re gonna change the game.”
Those who have played and continue to play with Watt know just how special a player he is.
Along with his impressive physical traits, Watt brings a high football IQ to the table and studies his tail off. This makes him fully prepared to take advantage of every little opportunity he finds in film study, allowing him to exploit it and make game-changing plays.
In that sense, he’s a freak. He’s on a Hall of Fame path, already the best pass rusher in Steelers’ franchise history, and, based on his trajectory, might go down as one of the greatest ever.
Eventually, you can’t take that away from him.
Check out the full interview with Dupree below.
