The Pittsburgh Steelers have one of the NFL's best defenders on their roster, edge rusher T.J. Watt. Having just completed his eighth season, Watt has not been shy about wanting a postseason win. Watt seems sincere in wanting to stay and be a one-helmet guy, like his teammate Cameron Heyward, but he does appear frustrated.
Watt may want to return, but many think the team should trade him for draft picks while he still has significant value. If the Steelers want to return to postseason success, they must hit some home runs on roster acquisitions. Gaining extra draft capital for someone like Watt would give them more opportunities to do that.
Mark Kaboly from "The Pat McAfee Show" joined the "93.7 The Fan Morning Show", and while he doesn't believe Watt will be going anywhere in 2025, he does think the way the team utilizes him might change. Watt did not have his best statistical season in 2024 but was still among the best in the league. He was rewarded with Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors.
"I find it interesting he's getting a little bit grumpy," remarked Kaboly. "All this chipping, all this two, three men on his side. Like, I'm looking around the league, and nobody else has to deal with this. Seems like he's getting to that point where something else needs to happen. Move him around. Scheme him up rather than just saying he is the best player on the field, he can handle the chip, he can handle people lined up on his side, and he can handle forcing him out, forcing him wide nines just by formation-wise. I think that's what it is."
The subject of moving Watt around isn't a new one. On the heels of his worst statistical full season since he was a rookie, with only 11.5 sacks, it is coming up again. Watt is a well-known human wrecking ball, and the opposing head coaches always address the fact that they have to plan to slow him down specifically.
The good news is that it frees up other players like Alex Highsmith to create chaos, but the bad news is that it makes Watt predictable and limits his impact.
He has rushed mainly from the left side of the line for several years, and Kaboly thinks he might be more open to moving around.
"I think some of it has to do with he didn't want to, but I think even he's coming around saying this needs to happen now," added Kaboly.
The rumor is that Watt was resistant to moving around, but he seems to be the only elite rusher who isn't adjusting, according to Kaboly. The team did not do him any favors by not coaching him to move around sooner.
Pittsburgh had 2024's most expensive defense, and at times, it did not appear that way. During those four straight losses at the end of the regular season, the more elite teams they played were able almost entirely to eliminate Watt from the game. He had zero sacks in those four games and recorded zero tackles in the last two. Now that Watt is getting older, the team needs to have him work smarter, not harder.
Watt is currently playing under a contract extension. He is entering the final year of that deal, and it is time for the Steelers to extend him if they plan to keep him around.
While he was once the highest-paid defender in the league, most agree he doesn't still need to be paid like that. He will turn 31 in October, and the team can have a talk with him about paying him well, but not that well. The key is to have Watt feel valued without overvaluing him.
