With the 2024 season coming to a close, the NFL honors are starting to roll out. On January 2, the NFL released the 2025 Pro Bowl Games roster, and four Pittsburgh Steelers made the list. Next up are the All-Pro honors.
All-Pros hold more weight than Pro Bowls as the fans do not vote on them and they consider all NFL players—not just AFC or NFC. These honors play a key factor when considering which players belong in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The All-Pro honors recognized by the league are voted on by the Associated Press.
Over the years, however, media platforms and NFL analysts have taken the liberty of constructing their own NFL honors. Recently, Bill Barnwell of ESPN put together his 2024 All-Pro team, and T.J. Watt was not included.
Not only did Barnwell leave Watt off the list, but he also criticized the team's pass-rush effectiveness when Watt is on the field—noting that the Steelers have a higher pressure rate when he's on the sidelines.
In Watt's place, Barnwell has Bengals star Trey Hendrickson and reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett as the two edge rushers making his 2024 All-Pro roster. Hendrickson and Garrett lead the NFL in sacks heading into the final week of the season.
T.J. Watt deserves more respect than he's been receiving
Up until Week 18, T.J. Watt led the field in Defensive Player of the Year odds despite a down season statistically. This has caused some to spin a narrative that Watt is overrated. New analytics play a factor in this mindset.
Barnwell notes that Watt ranks 65th in pressure rate among all players who rush the quarterback at least 20 times per game while ranking 47th in a metric that measures how often pass rushers get to the QB in under 2.5 seconds.
While the ability to create rapid pressure is important, it doesn't account for everything. In terms of measurable numbers, Watt still ranks 4th in the NFL in sacks (11.5), 2nd in tackles for a loss (19), and 1st in forced fumbles (6)—all the while aiding a Steelers defense that ranks 7th in points per game allowed (20.5).
It's easy to see that Watt didn't have the best season of his career in 2024, but to tear him down for having an unspectacular pressure rate is uncalled for.
It's important to remember that this is ESPN's All-Pro team; not the Associated Press All-Pro honors that count towards a payer's résumé. Let's hope T.J. Watt hears all the analytical arguments against him and uses them as fuel to the fire in the playoffs.