Pittsburgh Steelers midseason awards: Which players stood out?
By Tommy Jaggi
Most Valuable Player: T.J. Watt
As I mentioned in a previous article, there is really only one other player who should really be in consideration for this award (I am referring to trade acquisition, Minkah Fitzpatrick). While you could certainly make a case for Fitzpatrick being the most important player to this team through the first eight weeks, I gave the award to the most consistently dominant player in a Steelers uniform.
T.J. Watt was spectacular for the Steelers last season – recording 13.0 sacks, 12 tackles for a loss, and 21 quarterback hits. However, this year he is on pace to crush all of those numbers.
Watt is incredibly consistent at getting pressure on the quarterback, and in my opinion, he is the single most valuable player on the team when you factor in his age and his level of play.
The former 30th overall pick is currently Pro Football Focus’s top-rated edge defender through the first half of the season with an overall grade of 90.4.
The 2018 Pro Bowler is playing well enough to have his name thrown into the discussion for Defensive Player of the Year, and he will have a good chance to achieve that at some point in his career. Pittsburgh’s pass rush is better than it has been in a decade, and that is thanks in large part to Watt’s dominance off the edge. He is my midseason MVP.