NFL’s Opinion of T.J. Watt Doubles Down on Importance of Steelers Extension

Every so often, an NFL player comes along that a team simply can’t afford to lose. The Pittsburgh Steelers certainly find themselves in this position right now, as superstar pass rusher T.J. Watt is the caliber of a career Steeler.

Any buzz of a trade has already had plenty of cold water thrown on it. Pittsburgh wouldn’t be wise to ship Watt out of town. As his contract saga continues, it’s in the best interest of both sides to get a deal done. They know it, fans know it and apparently the NFL also knows it.

In his annual survey of league coaches, executives and scouts, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reveals that Watt is once again the No. 2-ranked EDGE player in football. It’s another one-two-three punch of Cleveland Browns standout Myles Garrett, Watt and Micah Parsons of the Dallas Cowboys. Watt’s ranking is another clear reminder that he deserves to get paid.

AFC Coach: T.J. Watt Remains ‘Gold Standard’ for Steelers & NFL

Even in his age-30 season, Watt was good enough to be named to the Pro Bowl for the seventh campaign in a row. Not only that, but he also received second-team All-Pro honors and finished fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting.

It was another year to remember for Watt. With that in mind, Fowler documented an in-conference coach citing him as the top option in the league.

“He’s still the gold standard for me,” a veteran AFC defensive coach said. “He completely wrecks a game and he can do everything.”

In addition to logging 11.5 sacks in 17 games, Watt led the sport in forced fumbles with 6. On top of that, he amassed 61 tackles (19 for loss) and 27 quarterback hits. Pro Football Focus loved his productivity once again, giving him a 92.2 overall grade with 91.4 and 90.1 splits for run defense and pass rush, respectively. Those figures were all in the top six among all edge players in the NFL.

Other advanced stats also prove a quality regular season from Watt. ESPN’s own pass rush win rate metric had him ranked 12th for EDGE players with a 19% mark.

Opposing Coordinator Questions How Last Season Unfolded

With that said, it wasn’t all perfect for Watt. The aforementioned data reflects more of a great season than a “second-best in the sport” one, which brings his ranking into question a bit. The Steelers’ stalwart pass rusher has legitimate competition behind him (Parsons especially).

One coach, in particular, thinks Watt and company slowed down as a grueling 2024-25 season rolled on. Some of that may not have been in his control, though. The line was still generally excellent on the year.

“I thought he wore down a little bit,” an NFL coordinator said about Watt’s late-season clip. “But their whole defense did. I think they just got tired, and the struggles on offense could have played a role.”

That argument is worth looking into. In the final five games of last year, Watt played 273 defensive snaps but had only two sacks to show for it. Two of his worst PFF composite grades stemmed from that stretch. Per rbsdm.com, the Steelers ranked 23rd in EPA/play as a defense from Weeks 14-18 and were 22nd in dropback EPA/play. That, combined with four straight losses to end the season, potentially adds validity to the coordinator’s case.

With Watt set to turn 31 in October, it’ll be on him to prove the former coach right and the latter one wrong. Either way, Pittsburgh simply has to lock him up on a long-term contract.