At his best, T.J. Watt was one of the best pass rushers in the NFL. He routinely racked up double-digit sacks for a Pittsburgh Steelers' defensive front that was a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks. The fact that he's yet to record a sack on the young 2025 campaign has some fans in Pittsburgh ready to shovel dirt on the career of the future Hall of Famer.
Making a snap judgment on a two-game sample is madness. There are reasons for Steelers fans to be concerned about their defensive stalwart, though. If you go back to last year, he has failed to record a sack in six consecutive games. The 30-year-old edge rusher has only managed six sacks in his last 17 games over the course of the previous two years.
That is a disappointing return for a player in the middle of a three-year, $123 million contract extension. The Steelers handed Watt that deal with the idea that he'd remain one of the best edge rushers in football. It's fair to say he's fallen well below that level of production.
That does not mean that Watt still isn't a productive player for the Steelers' defense. Interestingly, he's giving Pittsburgh more value as a run defender than a pass rusher this season. His PFF grade of 90.5 as a run defender ranks him as the top edge on the young season. That number is in sharp contrast to his pass-rushing grade of 66,8, which makes him the 46th-ranked player at his position. To put it plainly, the Steelers are not getting the specific type of value they expected from Watt this year, but they are getting some measure of elite value from the veteran lineman.
Why has TJ Watt's pass rushing success declined?
The obvious answer is that Father Time has started to take his toll on Watt. He's on the wrong side of 30 and he's suffered several injuries which have cost him game time in recent seasons. It's fair to assume that he's lost a bit of the perimeter burst that helped him become one of the most feared sack artists in the NFL.
The erosion of talent surrounding Watt in Pittsburgh also allows opposing offenses to focus more attention on Watt. Cameron Heyward is still a good player but he's well past his athletic prime. Derrick Harmon has a lot of talent, but as a rookie, he's just scratching the surface on what sort of player he can become at the pro level. Alex Highsmith is an interestinge edge to play opposite Watt but he's nowhere near his teammate's level as a pass rusher.
Steelers fans shouldn't be surprised if Watt pops up with one more double-digit season, but he no longer has the upside the allowed him to notch 22.5 sacks back in 2021. He's firmly in the midst of transitioning his game to adjust to his advancing age. He should be able to help Pittsburgh stop the run at an elite rate but that might not be enough to justify his massive salary for too many more years.