The Pittsburgh Steelers’ defensive performance in Week 1 has garnered a lot of praise, but it is still early. They played an Atlanta Falcons offense that has a lot of new pieces to it. The Steelers will probably get a better test in the coming weeks, but for now, they look elite. T.J. Watt is a big part of the reason why, and many are already calling him the best defensive player in the NFL this year. Hall of Fame edge rusher Dwight Freeney isn’t ready to go that far.
“He is in the conversation, but not one week,” Freeney said Wednesday on The Offensive Line, Annie Agar’s podcast. “One week doesn’t mean much. One week just means one week. That’s it. Now come talk to me after Week 6, after I see four or five games. It could just be a game-plan issue, could be just an issue that they’re having game plan wise and why he just took over the game. I know he’s great, but who knows, next week he may not have any sacks.”
It’s a little frustrating because Watt has been this dominant for the last several years, but Freeney has a point. It’s probably a little soon to crown Watt as the Defensive Player of the Year. There are still 16 more games ahead, and the league isn’t short on incredible defensive players. The Steelers even have a few of their own in Minkah Fitzpatrick and Cam Heyward.
That isn’t to say many players had as good of a Week 1 as Watt. The official stats don’t really tell the full story because Watt was much more dominant that his one sack would indicate. Players like Micah Parsons, Aidan Hutchinson, and Nick Bosa will certainly give Watt a run for his money this year though. As incredible as he is, the award isn’t Watt’s to lose yet.
Freeney had 125.5 sacks in his career, but he never won DPOY, so he probably has experience with how quickly that race can change. It isn’t like Watt hasn’t looked this incredible over the course of an entire season before though. He’s tied for the record for most sacks in a single season. He led the league in sacks last year. It isn’t a stretch to say his play won’t suddenly fall off this year.
With the Denver Broncos up next, Watt should have an opportunity to build on his case. It doesn’t sound like two weeks in a row will change Freeney’s mind, but it definitely won’t hurt Watt. At this point though, Watt is probably more interested in finding some postseason success. Having a dominant season should help the Steelers reach that goal.
