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.
2. Injuries Haven’t Slowed him Down
Despite a dominant season, everything hasn’t been smooth sailing for Watt. He has missed two games due to injury and has been limited in two other games. According to Pro Football Reference, Watt only played 24% of snaps Week 2 against the Raiders, and only played 46% of snaps week 10 against the Lions.
Despite missing this much time, Watt has remained dominant every time he has touched the field. In his 10 games played Watt has 16 sacks, 16 tackles for loss, 26 quarterback hits, four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and 47 total tackles. His 16 sacks lead the NFL, and his 16 tackles for loss puts him in a tie for first with Nick Bosa and Micah Parsons for the most in the NFL as well.
Many players when playing through injuries cannot maintain the same high level of play, however, Watt has not joined that group. In addition to missing time with injuries, Watt came into the season without having a normal offseason as he held out for a contract extension and yet showed no rust upon his return. Couple that with missing an entire week while awaiting two negative COVID-19 tests, and it’s clear that despite difficulties, Watt has not let there be any excuses and he continues to prove he deserves the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award this year.
3. T.J. Watt is on a historic pace
Watt entered this season as a three-time Pro Bowler, and a two-time All-Pro, yet he is playing at an even higher level this season. According to Pro Football Reference, his career-high in sacks entering this season was 15, yet despite only playing in 10 games so far this year, he has already set a new career-high. Additionally, his 16 tackles for loss are already his second-most in a single season as well.
He is well on his way to having a career-best season, but more importantly, he is close to making NFL history. Michael Strahan holds the official single-season record for sacks with 22.5, while Al Baker unofficially had 23 in a season. With five games remaining in the season, both could be within reach for Watt if he can stay on the field.
Thus far this year he is averaging 1.6 sacks per game, and if he were to continue on that pace he would finish the season with another eight sacks. While that is by no means a guarantee, that is definitely within the realm of possibility considering the level he has played at.
Due to the following reasons, T.J. Watt is undoubtedly the NFL’s best defensive player thus far, and if he can stay healthy, he should end the season as the winner of the Defensive Player of the Year Award. Despite controversially missing out over the last two seasons, Watt has taken his play to an even higher level of play and should take home the award this season.