Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt has had plenty of special seasons since being in the NFL. He’s led the league in sacks on three different occasions, been a Pro Bowler six times, an All-Pro four, and has a Defensive Player of the Year Award trophy on his mantle. This season, however, may be his best yet, according to NFL analyst and former Cleveland Browns general manager Michael Lombardi; so good that he should be the MVP.
“I think T.J. Watt deserves to get the MVP of the league,” said Lombardi when appearing as a guest on the Bill Simmons Podcast. “It’s not enough to give him Defensive Player of the Year. You go into the game saying we got to block T.J. Watt, and then T.J. Watt creates two fumbles.”
Lombardi isn’t alone in this thought, joining ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky.
Simmons added his commentary, noting Watt has “jumped out of the television” more than most players. He believes the pace Watt is on could land him one of the best defensive seasons ever.
While it may not always show up on the stat sheet, Watt is dominating this season. Usually the top sack-getter in the NFL, he currently doesn’t even rank in the top five, with only 4.5 to his name so far. That doesn’t mean Watt hasn’t had an impact. Turn on the tape, and Watt consistently sees double teams and chip blocks. In fact, PFF recently created a “chip rate” to show how often a player is bumped and chipped, even if they’re not fully double-teamed. To no Steelers fan surprise, Watt’s topped the list at 35 percent over the first five weeks. That’s more than 12 percent higher than the next-closest name, Cleveland Browns DE Myles Garrett.
Despite this, Watt still ranks as the 14th-best pass rush win-rate as an edge and is second in the NFL in forced fumbles. No matter how offenses try to slow him down, Watt still dominates.
Lombardi compared Watt’s impact to another legendary player.
“I’m not saying he’s Lawrence Taylor, but he’s in the way of dominating a game like the way Taylor did,” said Lombardi. “He deserves votes for the MVP.”
Taylor is the last defensive player to win MVP, taking home the award in 1986. He beat out Los Angeles Rams RB Eric Dickerson and Miami Dolphins QB Dan Marino. Quarterbacks have almost always won the award since. Still, Lombardi noted that a lack of flashy quarterback play makes Watt’s path feasible.
While Watt winning MVP would be tremendous, it’s been hard enough for him to get DPOY. With Aidan Hutchinson out for the year, Watt is now the favorite, and getting a second award would be historic enough as just the seventh player with multiple of them.
