All good things eventually come to an end, and T.J. Watt’s four consecutive games, including the playoffs, without a sack left many worrying about the future Hall of Famer finally hitting a wall at age 30. According to his brother, that doesn’t seem like it’s going to be an issue.
On The Pat McAfee Show Wednesday, the panel joked about T.J. Watt having an “off” offseason.
“It’s not off, I can tell you that,” J.J. Watt responded during a guest appearance. “I was just watching him train the other day. He looks very good.”
J.J. Watt will be eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in just a few years. Known for his impressive physique throughout his career, J.J. Watt knows a thing or two about what a productive body looks like in the offseason. It doesn’t sound like there are any concerns with T.J. as he enters what will be his age-31 season.
However productive J.J. was, his body really started to break down over the second half of his career. He had already missed 32 games by the time he was the current age of his younger brother. T.J. has dealt with some minor injuries, but he played a full 17-game slate over the last two seasons.
The dip in Watt’s production may have had something to do with minor injuries piling up over the course of the season, but teams also chipped him at an absurd rate. With him playing almost exclusively at left outside linebacker, teams were able to scheme him out of games.
Watt and the Steelers have both acknowledged the need to move him around more to keep offenses guessing. He should also benefit from playing next to first-round pick Derrick Harmon assuming the rookie can play up to his potential in relatively short order. Harmon should be a solid upgrade over Larry Ogunjobi once he gets up to speed.
If the Steelers end up giving Watt $40 million per season to match Myles Garrett’s record-breaking contract, there will be more than a few people who question the wisdom of that move. If he rounds back into his normal form and competes for the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award once again, that noise will quiet down quickly.
Many doubted the Cam Heyward extension last year, and he ended up being a first-team All-Pro at age 35. Watt should have at least one more productive contract in him barring any major setbacks.
Watt may not be at voluntary OTAs but rest assured that he is hard at work somewhere. And according to his brother that work looks really good.
