T.J. Watt has continued to dominate the NFL this season, not looking like he’s lost a step. However, Watt has had games where he’s struggled getting after the quarterback. Part of that is because of the extra attention he’s seeing, getting doubled and chipped often. The Steelers have tried to switch things up sometimes by moving Watt around on the defense, but they haven’t done it very much. According to Watt, it’s still something he’s easing himself into.
“I think it’s just familiarity with it,” Watt said Friday via Steelers Live on Twitter. “Honestly, just spending so many hours on one side, you get very comfortable with the mechanics of the movements and things of that nature. Moving is discomfort sometimes.
“It’s not necessarily as comfortable as the left, but the more that I do it, the more comfortable that I’m doing. I’m doing it way more in practice, so it’s helping me, and just trying to watch film of guys that have gone inside before, even like a Melvin Ingram. Guys that have done it in the past and had success.”
That helps explain why the Steelers aren’t moving Watt around more, especially in games where he’s having less of an impact. He might look perfect, but there are some things that even Watt struggles with. It makes sense that he wouldn’t automatically feel at home on the right side.
Players have talked in the past about how strange it can be flipping sides. It probably feels like using your non-dominant hand to do things. Watt has built a Hall of Fame career on the left side. Constantly moving him around probably isn’t a great idea. However, as he becomes more comfortable with it, he could grow even more dangerous.
It’s funny that Watt brings up Ingram as an example of a guy whose film he’s watching. Some fans may remember that Ingram was actually a member of the Steelers to start the 2021 season. However, he wanted a bigger role, so they were ultimately forced to trade him. Watt would’ve worked closely with him before that so it makes sense why Watt is watching his film.
Ingram was also a player who moved around a lot. According to Pro Football Reference, Ingram moved all over the place. He did quite a bit of work on both the left and right side of the defensive line. It stands to reason he’d have some trick Watt could potentially pick up on.
With Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig both available this week, it will be interesting to see how the Steelers deploy their edge rushers. They’ve got a healthy stable, so perhaps they’ll be more willing to pieces around on the chess board. Then again, if Watt is dominating his matchup, they probably shouldn’t tinker with things. Still, adding this aspect to his game should make Watt even more dangerous.
