T.J. Watt is at present within the midst of a contract dispute with the Pittsburgh Steelers. That’s as a result of he’s among the best gamers within the league, and he seems like he needs to be paid as such. Watt has been dominant in his eight seasons with the Steelers, accumulating 108 sacks. He’s the Steelers’ all-time sack chief, and he’s attempting to money in with yet one more massive contract. Nevertheless, analyst Charles McDonald doesn’t consider Watt is a prime 10 defender within the league going into this season.
“He’s among the best defensive gamers of this decade,” McDonald stated just lately on the podcast Soccer 301. “If I can say you’re among the best defensive Pittsburgh Steelers of all time, you might be licensed. I simply thought that final yr, for me no less than, the place you’ve got these years the place T.J. Watt is in DPOY rivalry, or he wins, or he is available in second to Myles Garrett, and Steelers followers are freaking out.
“I feel if you happen to checked out a few of the metrics, at even his greatest years, it’s just a little boom-bust as a go rusher. The place he’s not getting constant strain, I feel, like a Myles Garrett or Micah Parsons… I assumed final yr was just a little bit an excessive amount of boom-bust for his recreation.”
The remainder of McDonald’s listing consists of Jalen Carter, Kyle Hamilton, Nick Bosa, Chris Jones, Dexter Lawrence, Derek Stingley Jr., Fred Warner, Patrick Surtain II, Myles Garrett, and Micah Parsons. That’s a stable listing of a few of the greatest defenders within the NFL. Nevertheless, leaving Watt off feels fallacious.
Gamers like Garrett, Parsons, and Surtain are in the identical realm as Watt. Two of these gamers are among the many elite go rushers within the NFL, and Surtain was the Defensive Participant of the Yr final yr. Jones and Lawrence make sense, too. They’re a few of the greatest defensive linemen within the league. There’s a great case to knock off a kind of different names for Watt, although.
It’s truthful to criticize what Watt did final yr. He ended the season quietly, ending the yr with 11.5 sacks, his lowest whole in a wholesome yr since he was a rookie. Nevertheless, he additionally had six pressured fumbles, which led the league. Whereas it may’ve been a down yr by his requirements, Watt was nonetheless unbelievable.
Bosa is probably going the participant that would most simply be taken off of McDonald’s listing for Watt. They’re each edge rushers, so it’s simpler to match them. Bosa has been one of many NFL’s elite go rushers for years. Final season, he had 9 sacks, one pressured fumble, and one interception in 14 video games. That’s after he posted 10.5 sacks and two pressured fumbles in 2023.
Whereas Bosa is an incredible participant, it’s robust to say that he’s higher than Watt. These numbers aren’t all the pieces, however Watt has been a extra productive participant than Bosa. Even after a down yr, there’s an ideal case to make that Watt is healthier than Bosa.
McDonald wasn’t the one analyst in that video that didn’t listing Watt as a prime 10 defender, both. Matt Harmon additionally didn’t embody Watt, and his reasoning was just a little completely different.
“The one purpose that I couldn’t put T.J. Watt on the listing is as a result of I feel Cam Heyward was higher than him final yr. And Heyward wasn’t making my listing. Possibly that’s silly logic, however that’s a giant a part of why I didn’t have Watt in my prime 10.”
Harmon’s prime 10 was similar to McDonald’s, besides he had Aidan Hutchison on his listing as a substitute of Lawrence. Contemplating Hutchison solely appeared in 5 video games final season as a result of damage, having him on the listing, however not Watt, feels just a little stunning. Nevertheless, Hutchison was on tempo to win Defensive Participant of the Yr earlier than that. If he recaptures that kind, then he may very well be in for a giant yr.
Nevertheless, it nonetheless is likely to be just a little quickly to crown Hutchison. Watt has been among the best gamers within the league for years, and he’s nonetheless a prime 10 defender. With out him, the Steelers are a a lot worse workforce. The final time that Watt obtained a brand new contract, he tied the single-season sack file. Maybe he’ll have a equally explosive yr this season if he and the Steelers can get a deal carried out.
