Pittsburgh Steelers exploring new ways to use fullback Derek Watt in 2021

Derek Watt was hardly involved on offense last season for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but here’s how Matt Canada could intend to use his fullback in 2021. 

Fifty-two. That’s how many offensive snaps Derek Watt saw the field for in 2021. Despite Pittsburgh making him the second-highest-paid fullback in the NFL in terms of yearly value, according to Over the Cap, Watt was a complete non-factor for the Steelers in 12 games last season.

That’s something new offensive coordinator Matt Canada hopes to change. Prior to 2020, Watt saw between 122-146 snaps in each of his first four NFL seasons, according to Pro Football Reference. This year, it’s possible that the Steelers fullback could top the best mark of his career.

How exactly can Watt go from playing 4.3 snaps per game to being a factor on offense this year? The answer is to use him in multiple roles.

This is something I witnessed first-hand at Steelers training camp. While there was no shortage of players to watch at Heinz Field, Derek Watt continued to grab my attention with where he would lineup on the field and some of the plays he made.

When you think of a fullback you might picture someone like Dan Kreider – a mauling run blocker whose sole purpose was to lineup in front of the running back and pave the way. While Watt may be used like this on occasion, his role for 2021 is looking like it could be much more diverse.

How the Steelers will use Derek Watt

As I observed Watt at Heinz Field, the first thing I noticed is that he was in no way limited to just one role or lining up at one position. In addition to fullback, Watt served as Pittsburgh H-back in practice. This is a role typically reserved for a player who is very good at blocking on the move and is usually somewhat of a cross between a tight end and a fullback.

Not only did Watt lineup as an H-back for the Steelers, but he was used more often than I could have anticipated. Watt was frequently one of the players moving around the formation prior to the snap. He was also used in the downfield passing game – something I certainly didn’t expect to see. In fact, during the Steelers August 3rd training camp practice alone, Watt caught two balls for over 70 yards during 11-on-11s.

Derek Watt clearly isn’t the same level of athlete as his brothers, but he still moves very well in space and is a natural football player. During practices, Matt Canada has found ways to exploit matchups when Watt is covered by a linebacker.

With four capable wide receivers, two pass-catching tight ends, and a do-it-all running back this year, we can’t expect Watt to have a big role in Pittsburgh’s passing offense. However, he could catch defenses off guard every once in a while with his ability to run down the seam and catch the football.

Kyle Juszczyk is widely regarded as the best fullback in football at the moment, and this has to do with his versatility in how Kyle Shannahan can use him for the 49ers. Today’s NFL is still very much a passing league, but after what we’ve seen at training camp, I think it’s fair to expect a much larger role for Derek Watt in 2021.