3 reasons why T.J. Watt is the rightful Defensive Player of the Year in 2020
By Tommy Jaggi
The Steelers found a diamond in T.J. Watt. Here’s why he is deserving of the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2020.
With the 30th pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Steelers took Wisconsin edge defender, T.J. Watt. We knew the talent that Watt possessed at the time he was drafted, but I’m not sure if anyone thought the would be this good this fast.
There was some risk in taking Watt in the first round. If you recall, the athletic edge defender played just 22 games in college and missed a lot of time with a serious knee injury. As a result, he had just one year of production prior to entering the draft. However, taking a chance on him has clearly paid off, and he will go down as one of the best picks in the past decade of football.
In 2020, Watt has been more dominant than ever, and he is currently on pace to shatter his personal bests in pressures, sacks, tackles for a loss, and quarterback hits. By the end of the season, it’s entirely possible that Watt could lead the entire NFL in all of these categories. But beyond just his raw numbers, there are plenty of reasons why Watt should win the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2020. Here are three:
Consistency is key
When it comes to consistency, there may not be a player in the NFL who competes at the level of T.J. Watt game in and game out – regardless of position or which side of the ball they play. I’ve never seen a player quite like this in all my years watching the Steelers. Watt has been so good in every game that you could pull up the tape from any contest he has played in 2020 and it’s clear to see that he is the best defender on the field.
While even Watt has had some games where his statistical production has been limited, he finds a way to make an impact on nearly every play. As great as Aaron Donald is this year, Watt might be even more consistent on a game-to-game basis. He makes sure his presence is always felt.