NFL analyst names Steelers T.J. Watt as best edge defender in football

Steelers T.J. Watt has proven to be a remarkable football player. Here’s why one NFL analyst recently labeled him as the best edge defender in the NFL. 

It would have been nearly impossible to watch football over the past two seasons and not notice T.J. Watt. The Pittsburgh Steelers star edge defender led the NFL in both sacks and tackles for a loss in 2020 and is legitimately on a Hall of Fame pace through his first four NFL seasons.

When it comes to the discussion about where Watt ranks among the best defensive players in all of football, his name is always mentioned near the top of the list. If not for playing at the same time as arguably the best defensive player of all time in Rams DT Aaron Donald, Watt might be considered the single-best defensive player in the NFL.

Recently, Hall of Fame running back and current NFL Network analyst Ladanian Tomlinson ranked his five best edge defenders currently in the NFL. T.J. Watt was at the top of his list:

This doesn’t come as a big surprise. Tomlinson has praised Watt in the past for what he has been able to do since joining the league. Just below Watt on LT’s rankings were Myles Garrett and Joey Bosa.

While there are many out there who would argue that Garrett or Bosa is the best in the business at getting after the quarterback from the edge, it would be hard to take anybody over Watt for the Steelers.

Would the Steelers take any NFL edge defender over T.J. Watt?

Steelers head coach, Mike Tomlin, has spoken volumes of Cleveland’s star edge defender Myles Garrett in the past. However, when it comes to the question of would Pittsburgh take any other edge defender in the league over Watt, the simple answer is no.

Myles Garrett is obviously a physical freak. As the former number one overall pick in 2017, players like him don’t come around very often, and some would argue that he was the best edge prospect to enter the NFL Draft over the past decade.

As a pure pass rusher, Garrett may even be a little bit better than Watt. The Browns star is a freak athlete in his own right and one of the best success rates at getting after the quarterback last season. Some could say the same about Joey Bosa. However, I could assure you that there isn’t another edge defender in the league Pittsburgh would trade T.J. Watt for. Statistically, he is grossly outpacing the competition:

Despite sitting out the final game of the 2020 season, Watt earned 15.0 sacks, 23 tackles for a loss, and 41 quarterback hits, according to Pro Football Reference. Two of these three marks were the best in the NFL. If he keeps up at this rate, he will have a chance to shatter some all-time records in the future.

Most importantly, the Steelers have seen the impact T.J. has had on this team first-hand. Without his dominance over the past two seasons, Pittsburgh wouldn’t have once again emerged as one of the best defensive units in all of football. The two-time Defensive Player of the Year candidate has had arguably a bigger impact on the defensive side of the ball than anyone not named Aaron Donald over the past two seasons.

Ladanian Tomlinson will probably catch some flack for his opinion, as Browns and Chargers fans might be quick to jump down his throat. Still, I take no issue with anyone labeling T.J. Watt as the best edge defender in the league. He’s incredibly well-rounded and productive, and his importance to the team cannot be overstated.