For a pass rusher as elite as T.J. Watt, it might seem like there’s no mountain left to climb. He’s a three-time NFL sack leader, broke the Pittsburgh Steelers’ record for career sacks before turning 30, and if he retired today, he’d be a first-ballot Hall of Famer no questions asked. But the great players combine top talent with a top work ethic and Watt’s always searching for the edge. In 2025, he’s found a new way to get even better.
“In my ninth season, I’ve never really thought about my stance,” he said in an [offseason interview with Graham Bensinger.](https://youtu.be/E9SJr_BHE-E)” I play with my hand down and I always thought to fire my hand back. Like a sprinter, you fire your hands separate ways.
“This year, we’re really working on firing on through the hand and running through it on the ground as opposed to throwing it back and wasting momentum in the wrong direction. So that’s an example of always trying to find the next thing to make things quicker.”
Per our charting, Watt rushed with his hand down 411 of his 563 attempts last season, nearly three-quarters of the time. That number has steadily increased throughout his career, Watt making his stance and get-off from that “sprinter’s stance” all the more important. By comparison, he rushed with his hand down just half the time in 2021 (203 of 403) and only two snaps of 468 opportunities, less than one-half of 1 percent of the time. Point is, it’s now became a staple of his game. Which means mastering his technique.
Watt credited longtime trainer Brad Arnett for helping him each offseason. Arnett’s worked with all three of the Watt brothers, giving him one of the best resumes of molding some of football’s most impactful players.
Heading into Sunday’s season opener, Watt will look to break the [longest sack drought of his NFL career.](https://steelersdepot.com/2025/01/t-j-watt-is-in-the-middle-of-his-longest-sack-drought/) Including the playoffs, he’s gone four-straight games without one. He’ll face former teammate in Jets QB Justin Fields, who has been sacked at a higher rate than any other passer of the modern era. Containing him is key but getting him to the ground is also critical for the Steelers to start 1-0.