The Pittsburgh Steelers are out of the playoffs and fans will have to wait until September for meaningful football... but there's still one more thing we can root for.
On February 6 at 9:00 p.m. ET, the NFL Honors ceremony will commence, and T.J. Watt is once again a finalist to win the Defensive Player of the Year award. Watt joins Eagles linebacker Zach Baun, Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett, Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II, and Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson.
The finalists for AP Defensive Player of the Year presented by @TCL_USA! #NFLHonors pic.twitter.com/LCaNESupFR
— NFL (@NFL) January 23, 2025
Watt finished the 2024 season with 11.5 sacks in 17 games. While his sack production and pressures took a significant step back this season, Watt led the league in forced fumbles (6) and finished near the top of the NFL in tackles for a loss (19) and quarterback hits (27).
Last year, Watt was the runner-up for the award, finishing second place in DPOY and voting behind Myles Garrett. The Steelers had a respectable defense this year that finished 7th in opponent points allowed (20.8 per game) and 15th in opponent yards allowed (334.3 per game).
T.J. Watt's feels like a long shot for DPOY
As much as we would love to see T.J. Watt win his second Defensive Player of the Year award—and knowing that he's deserved this honor at least twice in his career—adding a second DPOY to his resume may be out of reach this season.
Watt was quiet in several primetime games during the 2024 season, and he barely recorded any statistics in the final stretch of the season. While stats don't tell the whole story, you can bet Associated Press voters noticed this.
Watt's biggest competition this year could be Pat Surtain II, as the Broncos cornerback led all players in DPOY odds to close the season. Trey Hendrickson also had a tremendous season as a pass rusher, but his team fell short of earning a playoff berth and was on a poor defense. Zack Baun, meanwhile, had a tremendous year for the Eagles, but never made his way inside the top three for DPOY odds at any point during the season.
If Watt wins the award this year at the NFL Honors ceremony, you can bet that it will be met with backlash. This would feel like a make-up award after being robbed of this honor following the 2023 season and even the 2019 season.
Whatever happens on February 6, Watt's legacy is secured as a future Hall of Famer and one of the best players to ever put on a Pittsburgh Steelers uniform.