From the time he entered the league in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft until he finished second in Defensive Player voting behind fellow edge rusher Myles Garrett, everyone in the football world considered Pittsburgh Steelers star T.J. Watt among the best players in the league.
Unfortunately, much has changed for the former superstar over the past two seasons. Now we're starting to see Watt's performance decline reflected in NFL rankings.
As the league slowly releases its NFL Top 100 list, voted on by the players, NFL analyst Pete Prisco of CBS Sports recently released his top-100 list. Garrett—who earned his second DPOY award in 2025—topped the list in the No. 1 overall spot. But Watt was relatively close to missing the list entirely.
Prisco ranked Watt as the 88th-best player in the NFL ahead of the 2026 season, noting his decline in production.
"His production has dipped since he recorded 19 sacks in 2023. He had just 7 last season as he battled injuries, limiting him to 14 games. Can he regain his old form?"
Pete Prisco's top-100 rankings are more evidence that Pittsburgh Steelers EDGE T.J. Watt is no longer an elite player
Last season, Prisco had Watt all the way up at No. 11 in his top-100 rankings ahead of the 2025 season. That means Watt just witnessed his ranking drop a whopping 77 spots. If this trend continues, Watt won't even be considered for Prisco's top-100 next summer.
Watt has taken a lot of heat for his performance last season, and deservedly so. After earning a record-setting three-year, $123 million contract, Watt had the worst season of his NFL career. In 14 games in 2025, the four-time First-Team All-Pro and 2021 Defensive Player of the Year finished with just seven sacks and 10 tackles for a loss.
Meanwhile, Watt ranked just 32nd in pressures and 67th in pass rush win rate, while his 75.5 pass rush grade ranked 25th among qualifying players, per Pro Football Focus.
While he certainly isn't the same dominant player we once knew, the criticism Watt has taken over the past year and a half should light a fire under him for the 2026 season. Watt will turn 32 years old in October, but if he can stay healthy—and new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham can limit his workload—he could prove that he still has some gas left in the tank.
Garrett was hardly the only edge rusher listed ahead of Watt on Prisco's top-100. Joining Garrett were Micah Parsons (No.12), Aidan Hutchinson (No. 14), Will Anderson Jr. (No. 15), Danielle Hunter (No. 37), Josh Hines-Allen (No. 53), Nik Bonitto (No. 58), Trey Hendrickson (No. 67), and Jared Verse (No. 68).
Watt still hasn't shown up on the league's official NFL Top 100 list, but if he makes an appearance (and I'm assuming he does), that could be coming soon.
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