T.J. Watt won’t be damaged, however he’s coming off a disappointing season and feeling the warmth for the primary time in his profession.
Gone may be his days of 20-sack seasons, however can Watt return to type of being one of many NFL’s prime cross rushers? A lot of the dialogue has centered on shifting him across the protection quite than holding him glued to his typical left exterior linebacker spot. That chatter has come from each inside and exterior sources.
It could be one resolution, nevertheless it’s removed from the one one. To me, anyway, there are a number of different methods to get Watt again on observe.
Enhance Group Run Protection
Pittsburgh’s run protection hasn’t been ok the final two seasons. As former defensive position coach Karl Dunbar would say, it’s important to earn the fitting to hurry the passer. The extra third-and-long conditions the Steelers’ protection can create, the simpler your entire cross rush, Watt included, will probably be.
Watt was nonetheless largely efficient in these moments. Listed here are his stress charges on third/fourth-and-long (7-plus yards) the final three seasons.
2025: 10.6 percent2024: 11.0 percent2023: 14.7 percent2022: 8.9 percent2021: 14.7 %
No query, there is a lower within the stress price relative to his peaks in 2021 and 2023. However Watt hasn’t completely fallen off from these figures, both.
I discussed in a latest mailbag how shut we had been to speaking about Watt closing out the 2025 season with a fourth-down sack on Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson. Had Pittsburgh lined a break up second longer, Watt would’ve known as sport.
After all, you possibly can argue that the Watt of previous merely will get there faster, however it is a classic Watt rush the place the protection simply didn’t maintain up its finish of the discount. Possible acquired open too simply. A greater collective unit will naturally enhance Watt’s numbers.
Rush Him Extra
Watt might use just a little extra quantity. As we famous in our defensive charting, Watt dropped into protection 9.1 % of the time final season. A rise from 4.8 % in 2024. As our charting additionally confirmed, Pittsburgh rushed blitzed 35 % of the time final yr however despatched 5 or extra rushers simply 30 %. Which means, there have been loads of blitzes with an inside linebacker or defensive again speeding and an outdoor linebacker dropping into protection.
When Pittsburgh blitzed final season, Watt dropped into protection a really related 8.9 % of the time. That diminished his probabilities of getting one-on-one rushes when the offense couldn’t commit additional consideration to him.
This additionally sometimes got here when Pittsburgh performed its base/three-down protection towards twin-receiver units. Two receivers to 1 facet. In a few of these moments, the Steelers would ask the EDGE rusher to that facet to stroll out and play the overhang. It additionally occurred towards empty units, like right here towards Chicago, the place Watt bumped out.
Little Extra Artistic Motion
I’m not towards shifting Watt round, even when I don’t suppose it’s the first repair. I see the worth in it to make him tougher to establish and a bigger viewpoint of constructing the protection much less static.
It would invigorate Watt, too. He’s performed beneath the identical head coach his entire profession and the identical normal construction and scheme.
Pittsburgh isn’t making wholesale modifications, however just a few new concepts can profit everybody. If Watt can profit from an additional sack or two due to it, it’s a transparent win.
Scale back His Snap Rely, At Least A Little
Scale back his snap rely to scale back put on and tear and mitigate his violent enjoying model
Watt’s enjoying model is all-out. It’s a part of what has made him an ideal linebacker. It additionally comes at the price of further put on and tear on his physique, which has led to accidents and hampered his play.
Decreasing his snap rely a few ticks will maintain him contemporary from begin to end, in-game and all through the season. Pittsburgh has an incentive to take action. Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig want their snaps, and the Steelers might create a real three-headed assault as a substitute of Highsmith and Herbig most frequently rotating.
It’s arduous to ascribe a particular quantity to it. Well being for your entire unit will dictate a few of it. If Highsmith or Herbig miss time, the Steelers’ three-man assault turns into two, and the mathematics is straightforward. In video games he was lively for, Watt’s been above 82 % of the defensive snaps every of the final 4 seasons. One thing beneath that in 2026 is logical. Name it 75 % as a pleasant and neat quantity to goal for.
Last Ideas
If Watt is really fading and his bodily expertise are diminishing, then any schematic change will solely accomplish that a lot good. Maybe I’m cussed to a fault, however I’ll imagine in stars like Watt to show it round and shine once more. Particularly high-effort, hard-working, and highly effective gamers like Watt’s make-up.
Reaching double-digit sacks have to be his minimal. Making the above modifications might return Watt to a 15-sack marketing campaign.
