4 reasons Steelers fans should be thankful this season

Steelers T.J. Watt

While the future is bright with this rookie class, the current face of the defense is already on track to be a Hall of Famer. T.J. Watt is on an incredible pace as a player, and he has built off that this season. Despite only playing in eight games so far this season, he has already amassed 12.5 sacks. Best yet, he is only hitting his prime as a player, and should still have five or more seasons of dominant play.

What’s crazy to think about is that the Steelers almost didn’t bite on Watt back when they drafted him. The team seemed ready to draft David Njoku before the Browns moved up in the draft to take him right before the team. Better yet, the Packers, who traded back, were ready to take Watt with their pick before moving back. The Steelers landed him though, and since then he has been the face of this defense.

Moving forward, every fan of this team has to be thankful that they have Watt on their side. He reinvigorated this pass rush and has re-established the Steelers’ defense as one of the best in the league. While the future looks ok due to the team’s consistency and young ascending rookie class, Watt is the reason this rebuild won’t have to be long. Yes, the team has to find their next quarterback, but Watt will help keep this team competitive moving forward.

Even with the Steelers’ ups and downs this season, there is still a lot to be thankful for heading into this Thanksgiving holiday. This franchise is one of the most stable and well-producing ever, and despite the large questions looming, this team can still rebuild and turn around sooner rather than later. So give thanks this holiday season, as the Steelers still have a bright future even with so many questions looming over this team in the future.