Twenty-five passes by in a blur. To commemorate the past quarter-century of NFL action, ESPN unveiled its top 53 players of the past 25 years, a roster selected by analytics heavyweights Aaron Schatz (creator of DVOA) and Seth Walder. The 53-man roster of legends included a pair of Pittsburgh Steelers who made the cut. Retired safety and active shampoo ad man Troy Palomalu and left guard Alan Faneca both made the cut at their respective positions.
Faneca started with the Steelers as a rookie in 1998 until 2007, when he walked away in free agency. Meanwhile, Palomalu spent his entire 11-year career in Black and Gold, being named to six All-Pro teams and winning two Super Bowls in that period.
However, one terrorizer of quarterbacks was conspicuously snubbed. Pass rusher T.J. Watt was one of the highest profile players left off the hypothetical 53-man roster, alongside the likes of Michael Strahan. In fact, ahead of him on ESPN's 53-man roster were Julius Peppers, Jared Allen and Myles Garrett.
Why T.J. Watt deserves the edge over Myles Garrett
The latter one stings. Walder cited Garrett’s 522 pass rush wins to Watt’s 467, but that data point illustrates Watt’s surgical efficiency in slicing through to the quarterback. Garrett’s double-team rate was used as an argument to edge him past Watt in the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year race, but as a pass-rushing outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme, Watt sees fewer traditional double teams than a hand-in-the-dirt defensive end like Garrett. Instead, offenses chip Watt.
He saw so many that in 2024, Pro Football Focus began tracking the chip percentage to reflect how blockers are utilized to obstruct Watt’s path to the quarterback. Garrett finished second in chip percentage, but Watt lapped the field this season, getting chipped at nearly twice the rate as Micah Parsons, the third-most chipped pass rusher.
T.J. Watt’s All-Pro resume blows past most edge rushers on ESPN’s list
Additionally, in just eight seasons, Watt has earned four All-Pro selections, led the league in forced fumbles twice, was named Defensive Player of the Year in 2021, finished second in voting for the award twice, and third once in 2019.
Watt’s 108 sacks are more than any active player has compiled since 2015, two years before he entered the draft. As a run defender, his motor never stops. His 126 sacks since 2017 are the most in the NFL.
Watt's quartet of First-Team All-Pros is already more than Allen and Peppers. Furthermore, Allen was a late bloomer. While Allen’s 22-sack season was extraordinary, he was never awarded a Defensive Player of the Year honor, finishing a handful of votes short in 2011. That’s not the end-all be-all, but Watt is on pace to eclipse Allen’s 12-year run quite soon. If this list were compiled two years later, Allen wouldn’t even have the sacks in his favor.
On top of that, Peppers never led the league in sacks. Watt has led the league on three separate occasions.
As for Garrett, the case is close, and where it gets interesting. Both were 2017 draftees. Both were viewed as freakish talents. Garrett came in with No. 1 overall pedigree and has lived up to much of the hype. But he hasn’t matched Watt’s disruptive tendencies.
Watt’s penchant for creating turnovers through strip sacks is unparalleled in the league today. He’s already compiled a dozen more forced fumbles than Garrett over the same span.
What it will take for T.J. Watt to silence the doubters
The fire had been lit inside Watt's belly well before he was drafted by the Steelers. Watt isn’t just competing with Garrett to be the best of this era; he’s pursuing his own brother’s legacy. Older brother JJ Watt is a three-time Defensive Player of the Year and was also named to ESPN's Quarter Century Team. If ESPN revisits its roster in two years, the math might look very different.
Until then, Watt’s exclusion is less an indictment of his greatness and more a reminder that legacy is a slow progression, even when you rush everything else. It should also serve as a motivator to make the World Wide Leader eat their words.