Pittsburgh Steelers player tier rankings following 2021 season
By Tommy Jaggi
Tier 1: Generational talent
Steelers: T.J. Watt
This is obviously no disrespect to Cameron Heyward at all, as the veteran defensive lineman was once again phenomenal in 2021. However, T.J. Watt is not just a cut above the rest, he’s probably the most valuable defender in the entire National Football league right now.
Though he was hindered by groin, hip, and knee injuries this season that caused him to miss two games and leave the contest early in four others, there was no team that could stop him when he was at full strength, and it was very evident how much better the Steelers were when he was on the field.
According to Pro Football Reference, Pittsburgh was 9-2 and allowed just 19.9 points per game in 2021 Watt played at least 40 defensive snaps. When he didn’t play at all or was forced to leave the contest early, the Steelers had a record of 0-5-1 and surrendered 29.8 points per contest.
Watt has now been the most productive edge defender in the NFL over a four-year span, and his 22.5 sacks tied Michael Strahan’s all-time single-season record (in fewer games played, I might add). There is no player more important to this franchise right now than T.J. Watt.
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I’m hoping that after the free agency period and 2022 NFL Draft, there will be more prospects that I can add to these tiers in the future. Right now, it’s encouraging to know that we do have some quality players to work with as the Steelers try to rebuild this team after Ben Roethlisberger and Kevin Colbert.