3 reasons T.J. Watt is the NFL Defensive Player of the Year thus far in 2021
By Scott Long
T.J. Watt has missed time this year with injuries, yet somehow the Steelers star has taken his play to an even higher level this season.
There are a lot of worthy candidates for Defensive Player of the Year, including Myles Garrett, Micah Parsons, Trevon Diggs, Aaron Donald, and many others. However, after yet another dominant game against the Baltimore Ravens, T.J. Watt should be viewed as the front runner for the award.
The following three reasons make it clear that if the season ended today, Watt should be the winner of the award:
1. Watt has less help from Steelers teammates than in past years
One of the lone knocks on T.J. Watt’s case for Defensive Player of the Year over the past to years is the talent surrounding him on the defensive side of the ball for Pittsburgh. However, while he still plays with Cameron Heyward, the talent around him on defense is not what it has been in years past, which has allowed teams to focus their attention on him even more.
The Steelers lost running mate Bud Dupree, slot cornerback Mike Hilton, and run-stuffing linebacker Vince Williams in Free Agency this year. All three were known for their ability to get to the quarterback and stop the run, and each was a key loss to the Steelers pass rush.
Additionally, the team lost Tyson Alualu to a season-ending injury early this year, and have been playing this season without Stephon Tuitt who remains on Injured Reserve and seemingly won’t return any time in the near future. Add to that the trade of Melvin Ingram at the Trading Deadline who was expected to give the team much-needed depth, and it becomes all the more impressive that Watt has been so dominant thus far.