New York Jets rookie RT Armand Membou won’t have the easiest introduction to the NFL on Sunday when he faces off against Pittsburgh Steelers OLB T.J. Watt. One of the league’s best pass rushers and its sack leader dating back to 2017, Watt poses a challenge for even the most experienced linemen. But ahead of Sunday, the Jets are feeling confident about their plan of attack against Watt.
“We brought Armand in here for a reason, and he’s up to the challenge. Not to say it’s not going to be challenging, but we feel great about it. We feel great about where he’s at and where our plan is,” Jets offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand [said Thursday during his press conference](https://www.newyorkjets.com/video/tanner-engstrand-press-conference-09-04-2025).
Week 1 T.J. Watt has been a different beast since 2021. He’s registered at least one sack in every Week 1 game, including two in the 2021 season opener and three in the 2023 season opener. Even if the Jets feel confident in their plan, Watt’s going to look to feast against a rookie tackle and get his season off to a strong start once again.
Membou has pedigree as the seventh overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. He’s very athletic with active hands, and shutting down Watt would be a heck of a way to begin his career. It’s also going to be interesting to see how much the Steelers move Watt around. It’s something he’s said he wanted to do more, and he and Alex Highsmith both moved around a little bit during training camp. Even if Watt does move more than usual, he’s still going to get plenty of reps against Membou.
If Watt dominates against the Jets, it wouldn’t be the first time a coach said he was confident in his team’s plan to stop Watt and failed to do so. Before Week 1 last season [Raheem Morris said the Falcons wouldn’t allow Watt take over the game](https://steelersdepot.com/2024/09/i-am-not-gonna-let-him-go-out-there-and-wreck-the-game-falcons-hc-raheem-morris-vows-to-contain-t-j-watt/). Watt proceeded to do just that, with a sack, two tackles for a loss, three quarterback hits and a fumble recovery. Engstrand and the Jets will hope that history doesn’t repeat itself at MetLife Stadium, which is actually the last stadium Watt played in Week 1 when he didn’t register a sack, that happening in 2020.
But fresh off a new contract extension, Watt is going to want to prove to the Black and Gold faithful he’s worth every penny, and that could lead to a difficult debut for Membou.