T.J. Watt received a massive contract extension last season, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL for a short while. It would be difficult to find anyone who thinks that contract isn’t deserved, given Watt’s importance to the Steelers since they drafted him.
Despite that, he’s statistically started slowly this year. Through two games, he hasn’t had a sack or even a quarterback pressure. According to former Steeler Trai Essex, that shouldn’t be too worrying.
“Man, I’m not concerned about T.J.,” Essex said on 93.7 The Fan on Tuesday. “If you watch film, he is still disruptive, and they are running away from him. They are running away from T.J. every opportunity they get. Because he’s been that effective when they do run towards him. And so, we’ve just got to be solid in the middle. We’ve got to find a way to clog that middle up better.”
The casual NFL fans recognize Watt for his prowess rushing the passer, but he’s also one of the better run defenders in the league. It’s no surprise that teams aren’t running towards Watt; that’s nothing new. The problem is that the rest of the front seven isn’t doing anything to stop them.
It’s partly due to injuries, with Isaiahh Loudermilk, Alex Highsmith, and Patrick Queen all getting hurt last week. However, the rest of the unit hasn’t impressed. Cam Heyward improved a little last week, but it wasn’t enough. Teams have pushed Keeanu Benton around with ease for two weeks now. Even at linebacker, Payton Wilson and Cole Holcomb took bad angles and weren’t aggressive enough.
With Watt being a mainstay on the left side, there’s been talk of moving him around more. We didn’t see that much last week, and Essex doesn’t think it must happen.
“T.J. made his hay being on that left end,” Essex said. “And he’s been disruptive his entire career… Stick to what his bread and butter is, and keep him rushing on the same side, and shore up the other sides of the defense.”
This is the approach the Steelers have taken with Watt lately, and you can argue it hasn’t worked out. He’s now gone six straight games without a sack and has been primarily on the left side during that time, as he has been for his whole career. Being so predictable makes it easier for offenses to plan around him.
It also makes the Steelers easy to run against. Watt’s not moving around at all. And with nobody stopping the run elsewhere, teams can run to the other side and pick up yardage. With such a bad start to the season from a defensive standpoint, it doesn’t make sense to keep him stationary. There’s a plethora of time left in the season, but Watt hasn’t yet been as dangerous as some expected.
Recommended for you