The Pittsburgh Steelers have one of the best defensive players in the league in OLB T.J. Watt. He’s been a dominant force for the Steelers since they drafted him 30th overall in 2017. But he’s not the only dominant defender in the league. While we hear a ton about Cleveland Browns DE Myles Garrett, Dallas Cowboys LB Micah Parsons has established himself as an elite playmaker, as well.
Parsons has 52.5 sacks in only four seasons in the league. He’s one of the key defensive players for the Cowboys. He’s also been runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year twice (and third in another season). A lot of people think that Parsons is one of the best players in the league.
But who is more valuable to their team, T.J. Watt to the Steelers or Micah Parsons to the Cowboys? The Facility crew debated that very question on Monday, and three members of the panel picked Watt.
“I love Micah, but I’m gonna go T.J.,” said former NFL RB LeSean McCoy. “I’ve watched T.J. win games by his self.”
That refrain of winning games by himself was echoed by former NFL WR James Jones.
“I took T.J. Watt because he’s like that,” said Jones. “I’ve seen him dominate, win games by himself.”
And that’s exactly what Watt did in Week 1 of the 2024 season. Facing off against the Atlanta Falcons, Watt absolutely blew up the Falcons’ game plan. Even if not all of his plays counted, he still wrecked the game. He even ended the game with a walk-off sack of QB Kirk Cousins, bringing down the quarterback with only eight seconds left on fourth down.
Watt also provided a game-changing play during a matchup against the New York Giants. The Steelers had an eight-point lead with under four minutes to go, but former Steelers (and now Giants) QB Russell Wilson turned the ball over to erase a chance to make it a two-possession game.
But instead, T.J. Watt blew past the Giants’ right tackle, sacked QB Daniel Jones, forced the ball out and pounced on it. While the offense couldn’t ice the game, Watt certainly could.
DPOTY WATT #steelers #NFL pic.twitter.com/iNcuPiIw95
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) October 29, 2024
As for former NFL LB Emmanuel Acho, he thinks that only certain players can even be in the conversation with T.J. Watt.
“It’s easy for me, T.J. Watt’s the Defensive Player of the Year,” Acho said. “Let’s not compare Defensive Players of the Year in T.J. Watt, over 100 sacks, really to anybody not named Myles Garrett.”
It’s actually kind of funny, especially since Parsons doesn’t even consider Watt to be a top-five pure pass rusher in the league. Acho doesn’t think Parsons deserves to be in the conversation with Watt, while Parsons doesn’t feel like Watt should be compared to players like Garrett or himself.
But the reality is, T.J. Watt offers more than just pass-rush ability. While the 108 sacks in eight years speak for themselves, Watt impacts games in other ways. He has seven career interceptions along with 49 passes knocked down. He affects the passing game even if he doesn’t get home, and he even drops back into coverage at times.
So sure, Micah Parsons might be one of the best young defensive players in the game. But T.J. Watt can affect games in more ways than one. And without a star-studded offense in Pittsburgh (unlike Dallas), T.J. Watt’s game-wrecking performances are much more valuable.
