Why the Steelers should trade for J.J. Watt now
In order to find the last Pittsburgh sports franchise to have two Brothers playing simultaneously, you have to go back to the Pittsburgh Pirates when the Waner Brothers played from 1926 through 1940. Both brothers are in the MLB hall of fame.
Fast forward 80 years, The Steelers now join the Pittsburgh Pirates in having two brothers play at the same time. They have two out of the three Watt brothers on their team. However, unlike with Lloyd and Paul Waner with the Pirates, only one of the two Watt Brothers currently on the Steelers is likely to get a nomination to Canton after retirement. Unless the unlikely happens and the Steelers decide to pull the trigger to trade for the elder Watt brother, defensive end J.J.Watt.
In 2020 the Steelers have two of the three Watt’s brothers. The Steelers signed Fullback Derek Watt in the 2020 offseason. They drafted linebacker T.J Watt in the first round in 2017, leaving the oldest Watt Brother, J.J. Watt, as the only brother not playing for the Steelers as he belongs to the Houston Texans until 2022.
Face it, Pittsburgh doesn’t execute many noteworthy trades. Since 1996 they have only made two trades that fans remember. The first one came on draft day in 1996 when they traded for Jerome Bettis, the 2nd in 2019, when they traded draft picks for Minkah Fitzpatrick. Well, they could add a 3rd trade to that list, which fans might talk about for decades, if they consider trading for J.J. Watt. Not later in the season, not in 2021.
Rumors have been abuzz about J.J. Watt coming to Pittsburgh since the Steelers signed Derek Watt. Why not? With two of already them on the Steelers, its only natural to say hey sight J.J Watt. Furthermore, It is no secret that all three brothers have voiced opinions; they would all love to play together on one team. What do you get if that happens? First Look at T.J Watt entering his season; he is already a 2-time pro-bowl player and one time all-pro. Those counts are likely to go way up before the end of his career ends. In 49 games, T.J. Has four interceptions, 18 forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, 37 sacks, 182 combined tackles, and 39 tackles for losses. These numbers will only increase. On September 23, 2020, after the week two win over Denver, T.J got named AFC defensive player of the week.
What do you get with J.J Watt? First, he is a five-time pro bowl player. Also, He’s a five-time All-Pro. He has won the AP defensive player of the year in 2012, 2014, and 2015. Along with the 2014 Bert Bell Award. Entering his 10th season, He has one interception for a touchdown, 23 forced fumbles, 15 fumble recoveries, and one for a touchdown. He has 98 sacks with 485 combined tackles with 160 for a loss of yardage. Combine those two brothers on the Steelers defense you have a two-man wrecking crew who will put the hurt on opposing offenses. Derek Watt, while nowhere near the caliber of his brothers, still having him there helps on an emotional level, as we know, football can be a game of emotions. That aside, Derek will help the running game as needed and will play on special teams and the chance to play with T.J and or J.J at the same time.
One would also think just having them all together at the same time would have to elevate their level of play. So yes, while a trade, at this point, is nothing but a rumor; somehow, when one mulls it over, it makes perfect sense. The Steelers need to make this trade happen. Not tomorrow, they need to do it today.